Philippine 
Folk.  Tales 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 


PHILIPPINE 
FOLK  TALES 


COMPILED    AND 
ANNOTATED 

BY 

MABEL  COOK  COLE 


ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM 
tttOTOGKAPHS  BT 

FAY-COOPER    COLE 


CHICAGO 
A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO. 

1916 


Ks>; 

' 


Copyright 

A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co. 
1916 

Published  November,  1916 
Copyrighted  in  Great  Britain 


V.  F.  HAU.  PRINTING  COMPANY,  CHICAGO 


PREFACE 

T?ROM  time  to  time  since  the  American  occupation 
of  the  Islands,  Philippine  folk-tales  have  appeared 
in  scientific  publications,  but  never,  so  far  as  the  writer 
is  aware,  has  there  been  an  attempt  to  offer  to  the 
general  public  a  comprehensive  popular  collection  of 
this  material.  It  is  my  earnest  hope  that  this  collec- 
tion of  tales  will  give  those  who  are  interested  oppor- 
tunity to  learn  something  of  the  magic,  superstitions, 
and  weird  customs  of  the  Filipinos,  and  to  feel  the 
charm  of  their  wonder-world  as  it  is  pictured  by  these 
dark-skinned  inhabitants  of  our  Island  possessions. 

In  company  with  my  husband,  who  was  engaged  in 
ethnological  work  for  the  Field  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  spend  four  years 
among  the  wild  tribes  of  the  Philippines.  During  this 
time  we  frequently  heard  these  stories,  either  related 
by  the  people  in  their  homes  and  around  the  camp  fires 
or  chanted  by  the  pagan  priests  in  communion  with 
the  spirits.  The  tales  are  now  published  in  this  little 
volume,  with  the  addition  of  a  few  folk-legends  that 
have  appeared  in  the  Journal  of  American  Folk-Lore 
and  in  scientific  publications,  here  retold  with  some  ad- 
ditions made  by  native  story-tellers. 

I  have  endeavored  to  select  typical  tales  from  tribes 
widely  separated  and  varying  in  culture  from  savagery 
to  a  rather  high  degree  of  development.  The  stories 


365544 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

are  therefore  divided  into  five  groups,  as  follows: 
Tinguian,  Igorot,  the  Wild  Tribes  of  Mindanao, 
Moro,  and  Christian. 

The  first  two  groups,  Tinguian  and  Igorot,  are 
from  natives  who  inhabit  the  rugged  mountain  region 
of  northwestern  Luzon.  From  time  immemorial  they 
have  been  zealous  head-hunters,  and  the  stories  teem 
with  references  to  customs  and  superstitions  connected 
with  their  savage  practices.  By  far  the  largest  num- 
ber belong  to  the  Tinguian  group.  In  order  to  appre- 
ciate these  tales  to  the  fullest  extent,  we  must  under- 
stand the  point  of  view  of  the  Tinguian.  To  him  they 
embody  all  the  known  traditions  of  "the  first  times1' 
—  of  the  people  who  inhabited  the  earth  before  the 
present  race  appeared,  of  the  ancient  heroes  and  their 
powers  and  achievements.  In  them  he  finds  an  ex- 
planation of  and  reason  for  many  of  his  present  laws 
and  customs. 

A  careful  study  of  the  whole  body  of  Tinguian 
mythology  points  to  the  conclusion  that  the  chief  char- 
acters of  these  tales  are  not  celestial  beings  but  typical, 
generalized  heroes  of  former  ages,  whose  deeds  have 
been  magnified  in  the  telling  by  many  generations  of 
their  descendants.  These  people  of  "the  first  times" 
practiced  magic.  They  talked  with  jars,  created  hu- 
man beings  out  of  betel-nuts,  raised  the  dead,  and  had 
the  power  of  changing  themselves  into  other  forms. 
This,  however,  does  not  seem  strange  or  impossible 
to  the  Tinguian  of  today,  for  even  now  they  talk  with 
jars,  perform  certain  rites  to  bring  sickness  and 
death  to  their  foes,  and  are  warned  by  omens  received 

[vi] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

through  the  medium  of  birds,  thunder  and  lightning, 
or  the  condition  of  the  liver  of  a  slaughtered  animal. 
They  still  converse  freely  with  certain  spirits  who  dur- 
ing religious  ceremonies  are  believed  to  use  the  bodies 
of  men  or  women  as  mediums  for  the  purpose  of 
advising  and  instructing  the  people. 

Several  of  the  characters  appear  in  story  after  story. 
Sometimes  they  go  under  different  names,  but  in  the 
minds  of  the  story-tellers  their  personality  and  rela- 
tionships are  definitely  established.  Thus  Ini-init  of 
the  first  tale  becomes  Kadayadawan  in  the  second, 
Aponitolau  in  the  third,  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth,  and 
Ligi  in  the  seventh.  Kanag,  the  son  of  Aponitolau 
and  Aponibolinayen,  in  the  fifth  tale  is  called  Du- 
malawi. 

These  heroes  had  most  unusual  relations  with  the 
heavenly  bodies,  all  of  which  seem  to  have  been  re- 
garded as  animate  beings.  In  the  fourth  tale  Aponi- 
tolau marries  Gaygayoma,  the  star  maiden  who  is  the 
daughter  of  the  big  star  and  the  moon.  In  the  first 
story  the  same  character  under  the  name  of  Ini-init 
seems  to  be  a  sun-god :  we  are  told  that  he  is  "the  sun," 
and  again  "a  round  stone  which  rolls."  Thereupon  we 
might  conclude  that  he  is  a  true  solar  being;  yet  in  the 
other  tales  of  this  collection  and  in  many  more  known 
to  the  Tinguian  he  reveals  no  celestial  qualities.  Even 
in  tKe  first  story  he  abandons  his  place  in  the  sky  and 
goes  to  live  on  earth. 

In  the  first  eight  stories  we  read  of  many  customs 
of  "the  first  times"  which  differ  radically  from  those 
of  the  present.  But  a  careful  analysis  of  all  the  known 

OH] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

lore  of  this  people  points  to  the  belief  that  many  of 
these  accounts  depict  a  period  when  similar  customs 
did  exist  among  the  people,  or  else  were  practiced  by 
emigrants  who  generations  ago  became  amalgamated 
with  the  Tinguian  and  whose  strange  customs  finally 
became  attributed  to  the  people  of  the  tales.  The 
stories  numbered  nine  to  sixteen  are  of  a  somewhat 
different  type,  and  in  them  the  Tinguian  finds  an  ex- 
planation of  many  things,  such  as,  how  the  people 
learned  to  plant,  and  to  cure  diseases,  where  they  se- 
cured the  valuable  jars  and  beads,  and  why  the  moon 
has  spots  on  its  face.  All  these  stories  are  fully  be- 
lieved, the  beads  and  jars  are  considered  precious,  and 
the  places  mentioned  are  definitely  known.  While  the 
accounts  seem  to  be  of  fairly  recent  origin  they  conflict 
neither  with  the  fundamental  ideas  and  traditions  of 
"the  first  times"  nor  with  the  beliefs  of  today. 

Stories  seventeen  to  twenty-three  are  regarded  as 
fables  and  are  told  to  amuse  the  children  or  to  while 
away  the  midday  hours  when  the  people  seek  shaded 
spots  to  lounge  or  stop  on  the  trail  to  rest.  Most 
of  them  are  known  to  the  Christianized  tribes  through- 
out the  Islands  and  show  great  similarity  to  the  tales 
found  in  the  islands  to  the  south  and,  in  some  cases, 
in  Europe.  In  many  of  them  the  chief  incidents  are 
identical  with  those  found  elsewhere,  but  the  story- 
tellers, by  introducing  old  customs  and  beliefs,  have 
moulded  and  colored  them  until  they  reflect  the  com- 
mon ideas  of  the  Tinguian. 

The  third  group  includes  stories  from  several  wild 
tribes  who  dwell  in  the  large  island  of  Mindanao. 

[  viii  ] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Here  are  people  who  work  in  brass  and  steel,  build 
good  dwellings,  and  wear  hemp  clothing  elaborately 
decorated  with  beads,  shell  disks,  and  embroidery,  but 
who  still  practice  many  savage  customs,  including 
slavery  and  human  sacrifice. 

The  fourth  division  gives  two  tales  from  the  Moro 
'(hardy  Malayan  warriors  whose  ancestors  early  be- 
came converts  to  the  faith  of  Mohammed).  Their 
teachers  were  the  Arabian  traders  who,  about  1400, 
succeeded  in  converting  many  of  the  Malay  Islanders 
to  the  faith  of  the  prophet. 

The  last  group  contains  the  stories  of  the  Christian- 
ized natives  —  those  who  accepted  the  rule  of  Spain 
and  with  it  the  Catholic  religion.  Their  tales,  while 
full  of  local  color,  nevertheless  show  the  influence  of 
the  European  tutors.  They  furnish  an  excellent  op- 
portunity to  contrast  the  literature  of  the  savage  head- 
hunters  with  that  of  the  Moro  and  Christian  tribes 
and  to  observe  how  various  recent  influences  have  mod- 
ified the  beliefs  of  people  who  not  many  centuries  ago 
were  doubtless  of  a  uniform  grade  of  culture.  It  is 
interesting,  too,  to  note  that  European  tales  brought 
into  the  Islands  by  Mohammedan  and  Christian  rulers 
and  traders  have  been  worked  over  until,  at  first 
glance,  they  now  appear  indigenous. 

Owing  to  local  coloring,  these  tales  have  various 
forms.  Still  we  find  many  incidents  which  are  held 
in  common  by  all  the  tribes  of  the  Archipelago  and 
even  by  the  people  of  Borneo,  Java,  Sumatra,  and 
India.  Some  of  these  similarities  and  parallelisms  are 
indicated  in  the  foot-notes  throughout  the  book. 

[be] 


CONTENTS 

GROUP  1 1     TINGUIAN 

PAGE 

Aponibolinayen  and  the  Sun 6 

Aponibolinayen 17 

Gawigawen  of  Adasen 25 

The  Story  of  Gaygayoma  Who  Lives  up  Above      .       .       •  37 

The  Story  of  Dumalawi 44 

The  Story  of  Kanag 50 

The  Story  of  Tikgi 56 

The  Story  of  Sayen 60 

The  Sun  and  the  Moon 65 

How  the  Tinguian  Learned  to  Plant 66 

Magsawi 68 

The  Tree  with  the  Agate  Beads 71 

The  Striped  Blanket 73 

The  Alan  and  the  Hunters 7 

The  Man  and  the  Alan 

Sogsogot 79 

The  Mistaken  Gifts 82 

The  Boy  Who  Became  a  Stone 84 

The  Turtle  and  the  Lizard  .  t/.       .       .       .       .       ,       .86 

The  Man  with  the  Cocoanuts 88 

The  Carabao  and  the  Shell 89 

The  Alligator's  Fruit 90 

Dogedog 91 

GROUP  II :     IGOROT 

X  The  Creation 99  X 

The  Flood  Story IO2     ^ 

[xi] 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Lumawig  on  Earth 105 

How  the  First  Head  Was  Taken 1 1 1 

The  Serpent  Eagle 113 

The  Tattooed  Men 115 

Tilin,  the  Rice  Bird 117 


GROUP  III :     THE  WILD  TRIBES  OF  MINDANAO 

Bukidnon 

How  the  Moon  and  Stars  Came  to  Be 124 

The  Flood  Story .       .       .  125 , 

Magbangal 127 

How  Children  Became  Monkeys 130 

Bulanawan  and  Aguio 131 

Bagobo 

Origin 133 

Lumabet 135 

Bilaan 

The  Story  of  the  Creation *39X 

In  the  Beginning 141 

Mandaya 

The  Children  of  the  Limokon 143 

The  Sun  and  the  Moon 145 

Subanun 

The  Widow's  Son 147 

[xii] 


CONTENTS 


GROUP  IV :     MORO 

PAGE 

Mythology  of •  Mindanao 157 

The  Story  of  Bantugan 163 


GROUP  VI     THE  CHRISTIANIZED  TRIBES 

1 to can  o 

The  Monkey  and  the  Turtle 176 

The  Poor  Fisherman  and  His  Wife 179 

The  Presidente  Who  Had  Horns 181 

The  Story  of  a  Monkey 183 

The  White  Squash 185 

Tagalog 

The  Creation  Story 187  * 

The  Story  of  Benito 189 

The  Adventures  of  Juan 196 

Juan  Gathers  Guavas 200 

Visayan 

The  Sun  and  the  Moon 201 

The  First  Monkey 202 

The  Virtue  of  the  Cocoanut 204 

Mansumandig 206 

Why  Dogs  Wag  Their  Tails 210 

The  Hawk  and  the  Hen 212 

The  Spider  and  the  Fly 214 

The  Battle  of  the  Crabs 215 

Pronunciation  of  Philippine  Names 217 

[xiii] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

A  Tinguian  gentleman Frontispiece 

Tinguian  hunters 26 

Returning  from  the  hunt 26 

Hunting  with  the  blowgun 27 

Sugar  cane  press 40 

Vats  for  boiling  sugar  cane  juice 40 

Grinding  corn 41 

Making  a  harrow 41 

Elevated  living  rooms  reached  by  ladders 56 

Cocoanut  trees  tower  above  the  homes 56 

Section  of  a  Tinguian  village 57 

A  settlement  in  the  mountains 57 

The  talking  jars 68 

Playing  the  nose  flute 68 

Tinguian  potters  at  work 69 

Seeding  and  combing  cotton 69 

Bamboo  rafts 90 

Hauling  bamboo 90 

Rice  terraces  in  the  mountains 91 

A  rice  field 91 

Type  of  Mandaya  tree  house 124 

Swinging  bridge  over  Padada  river 125 

A  net  maker 160 

Bringing  water  from  the  stream 160 

Bagobos,  Davao,  Mindanao 161 

A  rice  granary 196 

Methods  of  transportation 197 

A  store  in  a  Christianized  village 197 

[xv] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Tinguian 


INTRODUCTION 

'TpHE  dim  light  of  stars  filtered  through  the  leafy 
-*-  canopy  above  us,  and  the  shadowy  form  of  our 
guide  once  more  appeared  at  my  horse's  head.  It 
was  only  for  an  instant,  however,  and  then  we  were 
plunged  again  into  the  inky  darkness  of  a  tropical 
jungle. 

We  had  planned  to  reach  the  distant  Tinguian  vil- 
lage in  the  late  afternoon,  but  had  failed  to  reckon 
with  the  deliberateness  of  native  carriers.  It  was  only 
by  urging  our  horses  that  we  were  able  to  ford  the 
broad  Abra  ere  the  last  rays  of  the  sun  dropped  be- 
hind the  mountains.  And  then,  in  this  land  of  no  twi- 
lights, night  had  settled  quickly  over  us. 

We  had  made  our  way  up  the  mountain-side, 
through  the  thick  jungle,  only  to  find  that  the  trail, 
long  imperceptible  to  us,  had  escaped  even  the  keen 
eyes  of  our  guide.  For  several  hours  we  wandered 
about,  lost  in  the  darkness. 

On  and  on  we  went,  through  narrow  paths,  steep  in 
places,  and  made  rough  and  dangerous  by  sharp  rocks 
as  well  as  by  those  long  creepers  of  the  jungle  whose 
thorny  fingers  are  ever  ready  to  seize  horse  or  rider. 
Occasionally  we  came  out  of  the  forest,  only  to  cross 
rocky  mountain  streams;  or  perhaps  it  was  the  same 
stream  that  we  crossed  many  times.  Our  horses,  be- 
coming weary  and  uncertain  of  foot,  grew  more  and 

[3] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

more  reluctant  to  plunge  into  the  dark,  swiftly  flowing 
water.  And  our  patience  was  nearly  exhausted  when 
we  at  last  caught  sight  of  dim  lights  in  the  valley  be- 
low. Half  an  hour  later  we  rode  into  Manabo. 

I  shall  never  forget  that  first  picture.  It  was  a  weird 
spectacle.  Coming  out  of  the  darkness,  we  were  al- 
most convinced  that  we  had  entered  a  new  world. 
Against  the  blackness  of  the  night,  grass-roofed  houses 
stood  outlined  in  the  dim  light  of  a  bonfire ;  and  squat- 
ting around  that  fire,  unclad  save  for  gay  blankets 
wrapped  about  their  shoulders,  were  brown-skinned 
men  smoking  long  pipes,  while  women  bedecked  with 
bright  beads  were  spinning  cotton.  As  they  worked 
in  the  flickering  light,  they  stretched  their  distaffs  at 
arm's  length  into  the  air  like  witches  waving  their 
wands ;  and  with  that  the  elfland  picture  was  complete. 

In  the  stillness  of  the  night  a  single  voice  could  be 
heard  reciting  some  tale  in  a  singsong  tone,  which  was 
interrupted  only  when  peals  of  laughter  burst  forth 
from  the  listeners,  or  when  a  scrawny  dog  rose  to 
bark  at  an  imaginary  noise  until  the  shouts  of  the  men 
quieted  him  and  he  returned  to  his  bed  in  the  warm 
ashes.  Later  we  learned  that  these  were  the  regular 
social  gatherings  of  the  Tinguian,  and  every  night  dur- 
ing the  dry  season  one  or  more  of  these  bonfires  were 
to  be  seen  in  the  village. 

After  we  had  attained  to  the  footing  of  welcome 
guests  in  these  circles,  we  found  that  a  good  story- 
teller was  always  present,  and,  while  the  men  smoked, 
the  women  spun,  and  the  dogs  slept,  he  entertained  us 
with  tales  of  heroes  who  knew  the  magic  of  the  betel- 

[4] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

nut,  or  with  stories  of  spirits  and  their  power  over  the 
lives  of  men. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  tales  heard  first 
around  the  camp  fire  of  the  distant  mountain  village. 


APONIBOLINAYEN  AND  THE  SUN 

Tinguian 

day  Aponibolinayen  and  her  sister-in-law  went 
out  to  gather  greens.  They  walked  to  the  woods 
to  the  place  where  the  siksiklat  grew,  for  the  tender 
leaves  of  this  vine  are  very  good  to  eat.  Suddenly 
while  searching  about  in  the  underbrush,  Aponiboli- 
nayen cried  out  with  joy,  for  she  had  found  the  vine, 
and  she  started  to  pick  the  leaves.  Pull  as  hard  as 
she  would,  however,  the  leaves  did  not  come  loose, 
and  all  at  once  the  vine  wound  itself  around  her  body 
and  began  carrying  her  upward.1 

Far  up  through  the  air  she  went  until  she  reached 
the  sky,  and  there  the  vine  set  her  down  under  a  tree. 
Aponibolinayen  was  so  surprised  to  find  herself  in  the 
sky  that  for  some  time  she  just  sat  and  looked  around, 
and  then,  hearing  a  rooster  crow,  she  arose  to  see  if 
she  could  find  it.  Not  far  from  where  she  had  sat 
was  a  beautiful  spring  surrounded  by  tall  betel-nut 
trees  whose  tops  were  pure  gold.  Rare  beads  were 
the  sands  of  the  spring,  and  the  place  where  the  women 
set  their  jars  when  they  came  to  dip  water  was  a  large 
golden  plate.  As  Aponibolinayen  stood  admiring  the 


incident  is  strikingly  similar  to  the  story  in  North  American 
folk-lore  of  the  maiden  captured  and  carried  upward  by  a  vine.  Sev- 
eral other  points  of  likeness  appear  in  the  lore  of  Malaysia,  Polynesia, 
and  America. 

[6] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

beauties  of  this  spring,  sHe  beheld  a  small  house  near- 
by, and  she  was  filled  with  fear  lest  the  owner  should 
find  her  there.  She  looked  about  for  some  means 
of  escape  and  finally  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  betel-nut 
tree  and  hid. 

Now  the  owner  of  this  house  was  Ini-init,1  the  Sun, 
but  he  was  never  at  home  in  the  daylight,  for  it  was 
his  duty  to  shine  in  the  sky  and  give  light  to  all  the 
world.  At  the  close  of  the  day  when  the  Big  Star 
took  his  place  in  the  sky  to  shine  through  the  night, 
Ini-init  returned  to  his  house,  but  early  the  next  morn- 
ing he  was  always  off  again. 

From  her  place  in  the  top  of  the  betel-nut  tree, 
Aponibolinayen  saw  the  Sun  when  he  came  home  at 
evening  time,  and  again  the  next  morning  she  saw  him 
leave.  When  she  was  sure  that  he  was  out  of  sight 
she  climbed  down  and  entered  his  dwelling,  for  she 
was  very  hungry.  She  cooked  rice,  and  into  a  pot  of 
boiling  water  she  dropped  a  stick  which  immediately 
became  fish,2  so  that  she  had  all  she  wished  to  eat. 
When  she  was  no  longer  hungry,  she  lay  down  on 
the  bed  to  sleep. 

Now  late  in  the  afternoon  Ini-init  returned  from 
his  work  and  went  to  fish  in  the  river  near  his  house, 
and  he  caught  a  big  fish.  While  he  sat  on  the  bank 
cleaning  his  catch,  he  happened  to  look  up  toward  his 


'See  Preface,  p.  vii. 

''This  incident  is  unique  so  far  as  American  or  European  folk-lore 
is  concerned,  yet  it  is  common  in  Tinguian  tales,  while  similar  stories 
are  found  among  the  neighboring  Ilocano  and  Igorot  tribes  of  the 
Philippines,  as  well  as  in  Borneo,  Java,  and  India. 

[7] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

house  and  was  startled  to  see  that  it  appeared  to  be 
on  fire.1  He  hurried  home,  but  when  he  reached  the 
house  he  saw  that  it  was  not  burning  at  all,  and  he 
entered.  On  his  bed  he  beheld  what  looked  like  a 
flame  of  fire,  but  upon  going  closer  he  found  that  it 
was  a  beautiful  woman  fast  asleep. 

Ini-init  stood  for  some  time  wondering  what  he 
should  do,  and  then  he  decided  to  cook  some  food  and 
invite  this  lovely  creature  to  eat  with  him.  He  put 
rice  over  the  fire  to  boil  and  cut  into  pieces  the  fish 
he  had  caught.  The  noise  of  this  awakened  Aponi- 
bolinayen,  and  she  slipped  out  of  the  house  and  back 
to  the  top  of  the  betel-nut  tree.  The  Sun  did  not  see 
her  leave,  and  when  the  food  was  prepared  he  called 
her,  but  the  bed  was  empty  and  he  had  to  eat  alone. 
That  night  Ini-init  could  not  sleep  well,  for  all  the 
time  he  wondered  who  the  beautiful  woman  could  be. 
The  next  morning,  however,  he  rose  as  usual  and  set 
forth  to  shine  in  the  sky,  for  that  was  his  work. 

That  day  Aponibolinayen  stole  again  to  the  house 
of  the  Sun  and  cooked  food,  and  when  she  returned 
to  the  betel-nut  tree  she  left  rice  and  fish  ready  for  the 
Sun  when  he  came  home.  Late  in  the  afternoon  Ini- 
init  went  into  his  home,  and  when  he  found  pots  of 
hot  rice  and  fish  over  the  fire  he  was  greatly  troubled. 
After  he  had  eaten  he  walked  a  long  time  in  the  fresh 
air.  "Perhaps  it  is  done  by  the  lovely  woman  who 


*The  belief  that  beauty  is  capable  of  radiating  great  light  is  not 
peculiar  to  Tinguian  tales,  for  it  is  also  found  in  the  Malay  legends 
and  in  those  of  India.  It  is  not  impossible  that  they  had  a  common 
origin. 

[8] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

looks  like  a  flame  of  fire,1'  he  said.  "If  she  comes 
again  I  will  try  to  catch  her." 

The  next  day  the  Sun  shone  in  the  sky  as  before,  and 
when  the  afternoon  grew  late  he  called  to  the  Big  Star 
to  hurry  to  take  his  place,  for  he  was  impatient  to  reach 
home.  As  he  drew  near  the  house  he  saw  that  it  again 
looked  as  if  it  was  on  fire.  He  crept  quietly  up  the 
ladder,  and  when  he  had  reached  the  top  he  sprang 
in  and  shut  the  door  behind  him. 

Aponibolinayen,  who  was  cooking  rice  over  the  fire, 
was  surprised  and  angry  that  she  had  been  caught; 
but  the  Sun  gave  her  betel-nut1  which  was  covered 
with  gold,  and  they  chewed  together  and  told  each 
other  their  names.  Then  Aponibolinayen  took  up  the 
rice  and  fish,  and  as  they  ate  they  talked  together  and 
became  acquainted. 

After  some  time  Aponibolinayen  and  the  Sun  were 
married,  and  every  morning  the  Sun  went  to  shine  in 
the  sky,  and  upon  his  return  at  night  he  found  his  sup- 
per ready  for  him.  He  began  to  be  troubled,  how- 
ever, to  know  where  the  food  came  from,  for  though 


'The  betel-nut  is  the  nut  of  the  areca  palm.  It  is  prepared  for 
chewing  by  being  cut  into  quarters,  each  piece  being  wrapped  in  betel- 
leaf  spread  with  lime.  It  produces  a  blood-red  spittle  which  greatly 
discolors  the  teeth  and  lips,  and  it  is  used  extensively  throughout  the 
Philippines.  While  it  appears  to  have  been  in  common  use  among 
the  Tinguian  at  the  time  these  stories  originated,  it  has  now  been  dis- 
placed by  tobacco,  except  at  ceremonies  when  it  is  prepared  for  chew- 
ing; it  is  also  placed  on  the  animals  offered  for  sacrifice  to  the  spirits. 
Throughout  the  tales  great  significance  is  given  to  the  chewing  of 
betel-nuts  before  names  are  told  or  introductions  given,  while  from 
the  quids  and  spittle  it  appears  to  have  been  possible  to  foretell  events 
and  establish  relationships. 

[9] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

he  brought  home  a  fine  fish  every  night,  Aponiboli- 
nayen  always  refused  to  cook  it. 

One  night  he  watched  her  prepare  their  meal,  and 
he  saw  that,  instead  of  using  the  nice  fish  he  had 
brought,  she  only  dropped  a  stick  into  the  pot  of  boil- 
ing water. 

uWhy  do  you  try  to  cook  a  stick?"  asked  Ini-init  in 
surprise. 

"So  that  we  can  have  fish  to  eat,"  answered  his 
wife. 

"If  you  cook  that  stick  for  a  month,  it  will  not  be 
soft,"  said  Ini-init.  "Take  this  fish  that  I  caught  in 
the  net,  for  it  will  be  good." 

But  Aponibolinayen  only  laughed  at  him,  and  when 
they  were  ready  to  eat  she  took  the  cover  off  the  pot 
and  there  was  plenty  of  nice  soft  fish.  The  next  night 
and  the  next,  Aponibolinayen  cooked  the  stick,  and 
Ini-init  became  greatly  troubled  for  he  saw  that  though 
the  stick  always  supplied  them  with  fish,  it  never  grew 
smaller. 

Finally  he  asked  Aponibolinayen  again  why  it  was 
that  she  cooked  the  stick  instead  of  the  fish  he  brought, 
and  she  said: 

"Do  you  not  know  of  the  woman  on  earth  who  has 
magical  power  and  can  change  things?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  Sun,  "and  now  I  know  that 
you  have  great  power." 

"Well,  then,"  said  his  wife,  "do  not  ask  again  why 
I  cook  the  stick." 

And  they  ate  their  supper  of  rice  and  the  fish  which 
the  stick  made. 

[10] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

One  night  not  long  after  this  Aponibolinayen  told 
her  husband  that  she  wanted  to  go  with  him  the  next 
day  when  he  made  light  in  the  sky. 

uOh,  no,  you  cannot,"  said  the  Sun,  "for  it  is  very 
hot  up  there,1  and  you  cannot  stand  the  heat." 

"We  will  take  many  blankets  and  pillows,"  said  the 
woman,  "and  when  the  heat  becomes  very  great,  I  will 
hide  under  them." 

Again  and  again  Ini-init  begged  her  not  to  go,  but 
as  often  she  insisted  on  accompanying  him,  and  early 
in  the  morning  they  set  out,  carrying  with  them  many 
blankets  and  pillows. 

First,  they  went  to  the  East,  and  as  soon  as  they 
arrived  the  Sun  began  to  shine,  and  Aponibolinayen 
was  with  him.  They  traveled  toward  the  West,  but 
when  morning  had  passed  into  noontime  and  they  had 
reached  the  middle  of  the  sky  Aponibolinayen  was  so 
hot  that  she  melted  and  became  oil.  Then  Ini-init  put 
her  into  a  bottle  and  wrapped  her  in  the  blankets  and 
pillows  and  dropped  her  down  to  earth. 

Now  one  of  the  women  of  Aponibolinayen's  town 
was  at  the  spring  dipping  water  when  she  heard  some- 
thing fall  near  her.  Turning  to  look,  she  beheld  a 
bundle  of  beautiful  blankets  and  pillows  which  she  be- 
gan to  unroll,  and  inside  she  found  the  most  beautiful 
woman  she  had  ever  seen.  Frightened  at  her  discov- 
ery, the  woman  ran  as  fast  as  she  could  to  the  town, 
where  she  called  the  people  together  and  told  them 
to  come  at  once  to  the  spring.  They  all  hastened  to 

Compare  with  the  story  of  Phaeton  in  Bulfinch,  The  Age  of  Fable, 
p.  50. 

[II] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

the  spot  and  there  they  found  Aponibolinayen  for 
whom  they  had  been  searching  everywhere. 

"Where  have  you  been?"  asked  her  father;  "we 
have  searched  all  over  the  world  and  we  could  not 
find  you." 

"I  have  come  from  Pindayan,"  answered  Aponi- 
bolinayen. "Enemies  of  our  people  kept  me  there  till 
I  made  my  escape  while  they  were  asleep  at  night." 

All  were  filled  with  joy  that  the  lost  one  had  re- 
turned, and  they  decided  that  at  the  next  moon1  they 
would  perform  a  ceremony  for  the  spirits2  and  invite 
all  the  relatives  who  were  mourning  for  Aponi- 
bolinayen. 

So  they  began  to  prepare  for  the  ceremony,  and 
while  they  were  pounding  rice,  Aponibolinayen  asked 
her  mother  to  prick  her  little  finger  where  it  itched, 
and  as  she  did  so  a  beautiful  baby  boy  popped  out. 
The  people  were  very  much  surprised  at  this,  and  they 
noticed  that  every  time  he  was  bathed  the  baby  grew 
very  fast  so  that,  in  a  short  time,  he  was  able  to  walk. 
Then  they  were  anxious  to  know  who  was  the  husband 
of  Aponibolinayen,  but  she  would  not  tell  them,  and 
they  decided  to  invite  everyone  in  the  world  to  the  cere- 
mony that  they  might  not  overlook  him. 


*The  Tinguian  have  no  calendar,  but  reckon  time  by  the  recurrence 
of  the  moon. 

BIt  is  the  present  custom  of  the  Tinguian  to  make  numerous  cere- 
monies for  the  spirits.  These  vary  in  length  from  a  few  hours  to 
seventeen  days.  During  this  period  animals  are  slaughtered,  small 
houses  are  built,  mediums  deliver  messages  from  the  spirits,  and  there 
is  much  feasting  and  dancing. 

[12] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

They  sent  for  the  betel-nuts  that  were  covered  with 
gold,1  and  when  they  had  oiled  them  they  commanded 
them  to  go  to  all  the  towns  and  compel  the  people  to 
come  to  the  ceremony. 

"If  anyone  refuses  to  come,  grow  on  his  knee," 
said  the  people,  and  the  betel-nuts  departed  to  do  as 
they  were  bidden. 

As  the  guests  began  to  arrive,  the  people  watched 
carefully  for  one  who  might  be  the  husband  of  Aponi- 
bolinayen,  but  none  appeared  and  they  were  greatly 
troubled.  Finally  they  went  to  the  old  woman,  Alo- 
kotan,  who  was  able  to  talk  with  the  spirits,  and 
begged  her  to  find  what  town  had  not  been  visited  by 
the  betel-nuts  which  had  been  sent  to  invite  the  people. 
After  she  had  consulted  the  spirits  the  old  woman  said : 

"You  have  invited  all  the  people  except  Ini-init  who 
lives  up  above.  Now  you  must  send  a  betel-nut  to 
summon  him.  It  may  be  that  he  is  the  husband  of 
Aponibolinayen,  for  the  siksiklat  vine  carried  her  up 
when  she  went  to  gather  greens." 

So  a  betel-nut  was  called  and  bidden  to  summon 
Ini-init. 

The  betel-nut  went  up  to  the  Sun,  who  was  in  his 
house,  and  said: 

"Good  morning,  Sun.  I  have  come  to  summon  you 
to  a  ceremony  which  the  father  and  mother  of  Aponi- 


*When  ripe,  the  betel-nut  is  covered  with  a  golden  husk,  and  it  is 
possibly  because  of  this  that  they  were  said  to  be  covered  with  gold. 
The  present-day  Tinguian,  in  place  of  sending  the  betel-nut,  sends  a 
small  piece  of  gold  to  any  relative  or  friend  whom  he  specially  wishes 
to  induce  to  attend  a  ceremony. 

[13] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

bolinayen  are  making  for  the  spirits.  If  you  do  not 
want  to  go,  I  will  grow  on  your  head." 

"Grow  on  my  head,"  said  the  Sun.  "I  do  not  wish 
to  go." 

So  the  betel-nut  jumped  upon  his  head  and  grew 
until  it  became  so  tall  that  the  Sun  was  not  able  to 
carry  it,  and  he  was  in  great  pain. 

"Oh,  grow  on  my  pig,"  begged  the  Sun.  So  the 
betel-nut  jumped  upon  the  pig's  head  and  grew,  but  it 
was  so  heavy  that  the  pig  could  not  carry  it  and  squealed 
all  the  time.  At  last  the  Sun  saw  that  he  would  have 
to  obey  the  summons,  and  he  said  to  the  betel-nut: 

"Get  off  my  pig  and  I  will  go." 

So  Ini-init  came  to  the  ceremony,  and  as  soon  as 
Aponibolinayen  and  the  baby  saw  him,  they  were  very 
happy  and  ran  to  meet  him.  Then  the  people  knew 
that  this  was  the  husband  of  Aponibolinayen,  and  they 
waited  eagerly  for  him  to  come  up  to  them.  As  he 
drew  near,  however,  they  saw  that  he  did  not  walk, 
for  he  was  round;  and  then  they  perceived  that  he 
was  not  a  man  but  a  large  stone.  All  her  relatives 
were  very  angry  to  find  that  Aponibolinayen  had  mar- 
ried a  stone;  and  they  compelled  her  to  take  off  her 
beads2  and  her  good  clothes,  for,  they  said,  she  must 
now  dress  in  old  clothes  and  go  again  to  live  with  the 
stone. 

So  Aponibolinayen  put  on  the  rags  that  they  brought 
her  and  at  once  set  out  with  the  stone  for  his  home. 


seems  to  be  peculiar  to  Tinguian  folk-lore. 
2Except  when  she  is  in  mourning  a  Tinguian  woman's  arms   are 
always  covered  with  beads  placed  strand  above  strand. 

[14] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

No  sooner  had  they  arrived  there,  however,  than  he 
became  a  handsome  man,  and  they  were  very  happy. 

"In  one  moon,"  said  the  Sun,  "we  will  make  a  cere- 
mony for  the  spirits,  and  I  will  pay  your  father  and 
mother  the  marriage  price1  for  you." 

This  pleased  Aponibolinayen  very  much,  and  they 
used  magic  so  that  they  had  many  neighbors  who  came 
to  pound  rice2  for  them  and  to  build  a  large  spirit 
house.3 

Then  they  sent  oiled  betel-nuts  to  summon  their  rela- 
tives to  the  ceremony.  The  father  of  Aponibolinayen 
did  not  want  to  go,  but  the  betel-nut  threatened  to  grow 
on  his  knee  if  he  did  not.  So  he  commanded  all  the 
people  in  the  town  to  wash  their  hair  and  their  clothes, 
and  when  all  was  ready  they  set  out. 

When  they  reached  the  town  they  were  greatly  sur- 
prised to  find  that  the  stone  had  become  a  man,  and 
they  chewed  the  magic  betel-nuts  to  see  who  he  might 
be.  It  was  discovered  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  couple 
in  Aponibolinayen's  own  town,  and  the  people  all  re- 
joiced that  this  couple  had  found  the  son  whom  they 
had  thought  lost.  They  named  him  Aponitolau,  and 


*The  parents  of  a  boy  choose  his  bride  when  the  children  are  very 
young.  A  great  celebration  is  then  held,  and  relatives  and  friends  of 
both  parties  decide  on  the  price  to  be  paid  for  the  girl.  Partial  pay- 
ment is  made  at  once,  and  the  remainder  goes  over  until  the  marriage 
proper  takes  place,  when  the  boy  and  girl  are  about  twelve  or  four- 
teen years  of  age.  In  this  instance  Ini-init  makes  the  customary  pay- 
ment for  his  bride,  though  the  marriage  had  already  taken  place. 

The  friends  and  retainers  pound  rice  and  prepare  food  for  all 
the  guests  who  attend  the  ceremony. 

"A  spirit  house  is  one  of  the  small  houses  built  during  a  ceremony. 

[15] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

his  parents  paid  the  marriage  price  for  his  wife  —  the 
spirit  house  nine  times  full  of  valuable  jars.1 

After  that  all  danced  and  made  merry  for  one  moon, 
and  when  the  people  departed  for  their  homes  Ini-init 
and  his  wife  went  with  them  to  live  on  the  earth. 


'The  reference  is  probably  to  ancient  Chinese  jtrs. 


[16] 


APONIBOLINAYEN 

Tinguian 

'T^HE  most  beautiful  girl  in  all  the  world  was 
-*-  Aponibolinayen  of  Nalpangan.  Many  young 
men  had  come  to  her  brother,  Aponibalagen,  to  ask 
for  her  hand  in  marriage,  but  he  had  refused  them 
all,  for  he  awaited  one  who  possessed  great  power. 
Then  it  happened  that  the  fame  of  her  beauty  spread 
over  all  the  world  till  it  reached  even  to  Adasen;  and 
in  that  place  there  lived  a  man  of  great  power  named 
Gawigawen. 

Now  Gawigawen,  who  was  a  handsome  man,  had 
sought  among  all  the  pretty  girls  but  never,  until  he 
heard  of  the  great  beauty  of  Aponibolinayen,  had  he 
found  one  whom  he  wished  to  wed.  Then  he  deter- 
mined that  she  should  be  his  wife;  and  he  begged  his 
mother  to  help  him  win  her.  So  Dinawagen,  the 
mother  of  Gawigawen,  took  her  hat  which  looked  like 
a  sunbeam  and  set  out  at  once  for  Nalpangan;  and 
when  she  arrived  there  she  was  greeted  by  Ebang,  the 
mother  of  the  lovely  maiden,  who  presently  began  to 
prepare  food  for  them.1 


aThe  custom,  which  still  exists  to  a  certain  degree,  was  to  offer  food 
to  a  guest  before  any  matter  was  discussed.  In  ancient  times  this  was 
considered  very  necessary,  as  it  still  is  among  the  Apayao  who  live 
north  of  the  Tinguian.  With  them  to  refuse  food  is  to  refuse  friend- 
ship. 

[17] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

She  put  the  pot  over  the  fire,  and  when  the  water 
boiled  she  broke  up  a  stick  and  threw  the  pieces  into 
the  pot,  and  immediately  they  became  fish.  Then  she 
brought  basi1  in  a  large  jar,  and  Dinawagen,  counting 
the  notches  in  the  rim,2  perceived  that  the  jar  had  been 
handed  down  through  nine  generations.  They  ate  and 
drank  together,  and  after  they  had  finished  the  meal, 
Dinawagen  told  Aponibalagen  of  her  son's  wishes, 
and  asked  if  he  was  willing  that  his  sister  should 
marry  Gawigawen.  Aponibalagen,  who  had  heard  of 
the  power  of  the  suitor,  at  once  gave  his  consent.  And 
Dinawagen  departed  for  home,  leaving  a  gold  cup  as 
an  engagement  present.3 

Gawigawen  was  watching  at  the  door  of  his  house 
for  his  mother's  return,  and  when  she  told  him  of  her 
success,  he  was  so  happy  that  he  asked  all  the  people 
in  the  town  to  go  with  him  the  next  day  to  Nalpangan 
to  arrange  the  amount  he  must  pay  for  his  bride.* 

Now  the  people  of  Nalpangan  wanted  a  great  price 
for  this  girl  who  was  so  beautiful,  and  the  men  of  the 
two  towns  debated  for  a  long  time  before  they  could 
come  to  an  agreement.  Finally,  however,  it  was 
decided  that  Gawigawen  should  fill  the  spirit  house 
eighteen  times  with  valuable  things;  and  when  he  had 
done  this,  they  were  all  satisfied  and  went  to  the  yard 

*A  drink  made  of  fermented  sugar-cane. 

^he  old  jars  possessed  by  the  Tinguian  today  have  notches  broken 
in  the  rim,  one  for  each  generation  through  whose  hands  it  has  passed. 

8When  the  first  negotiations  are  made  the  boy's  parents  offer  some 
gift,  nowadays  usually  a  small  bead.  If  this  is  accepted  it  signifies 
the  willingness  of  the  girl's  parents  to  consider  the  match. 

4See  note  i,  p.  15. 

[18] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

where  they  danced  and  beat  on  the  copper  gongs.1  All 
the  pretty  girls  danced  their  best,  and  one  who  wore 
big  jars  about  her  neck  made  more  noise  than  the  others 
as  she  danced,  and  the  jars  sang  "Kitol,  kitol,  kanitol; 
inka,  inka,  inkatol." 

But  when  Aponibolinayen,  the  bride  of  Gawigawen, 
came  down  out  of  the  house  to  dance,  the  sunshine 
vanished,  so  beautiful  was  she;  and  as  she  moved 
about,  the  river  came  up  into  the  town,  and  striped 
fish  bit  at  her  heels. 

For  three  months  the  people  remained  here  feasting 
and  dancing,  and  then  early  one  morning  they  took 
Aponibolinayen  to  her  new  home  in  Adasen.  The 
trail  that  led  from  one  town  to  the  other  had  become 
very  beautiful  in  the  meantime:  the  grass  and  trees 
glistened  with  bright  lights,  and  the  waters  of  the  tiny 
streams  dazzled  the  eyes  with  their  brightness  as 
Aponibolinayen  waded  across.  When  they  reached 
the  spring  of  Gawigawen,  they  found  that  it,  too,  was 
more  beautiful  than  ever  before.  Each  grain  of  sand 
had  become  a  bead,  and  the  place  where  the  women 
set  their  jars  when  they  came  to  dip  water  had  become 
a  big  dish. 

Then  said  Aponibalagen  to  his  people,   "Go  tell 


'The  music  for  the  dances  is  made  by  beating  on  drums  and  copper 
gongs.  A  man  and  a  woman  enter  the  circle,  each  carrying  a  large 
square  of  cloth  on  outstretched  arms.  Keeping  time  to  the  music  with 
their  hands  and  feet,  they  move  about,  coming  near  to  each  other  and 
then  drawing  farther  apart.  The  woman  follows  the  movements  of 
the  man  and  finally  places  her  cloth  on  his  outstretched  arms,  thus  end- 
ing the  dance;  another  couple  then  takes  their  place. 

[19] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Gawigawen  to  bring  an  old  man,  for  I  want  to  make 
a  spring  for  Aponibolinayen." 

So  an  old  man  was  brought  and  Aponibalagen  cut 
off  his  head  and  put  it  in  the  ground,  and  sparkling 
water  bubbled  up.1  The  body  he  made  into  a  tree  to 
shade  his  sister  when  she  came  to  dip  water,  and  the 
drops  of  blood  as  they  touched  the  ground  were 
changed  into  valuable  beads.  Even  the  path  from  the 
spring  to  the  house  was  covered  with  big  plates,  and 
everything  was  made  beautiful  for  Aponibolinayen. 

Now  during  all  this  time  Aponibolinayen  had  kept 
her  face  covered  so  that  she  had  never  seen  her  hus- 
.band,  for  although  he  was  a  handsome  man,  one  of 
the  pretty  girls  who  was  jealous  of  the  bride  had  told 
her  that  he  had  three  noses,  and  she  was  afraid  to 
look  at  him. 

After  her  people  had  all  returned  to  their  homes, 
she  grew  very  unhappy,  and  when  her  mother-in-law 
commanded  her  to  cook  she  had  to  feel  her  way 
around,  for  she  would  not  uncover  her  face.  Finally 
she  became  so  sad  that  she  determined  to  run  away. 
One  night  when  all  were  asleep,  she  used  magical 
power  and  changed  herself  into  oil.2  Then  she  slid 

*An  interesting  parallel  to  this  is  found  in  the  Dayak  legend  of 
Limbang,  where  a  tree  springs  from  the  head  of  a  dead  giant;  its 
flowers  are  beads;  its  leaves,  cloth;  and  the  fruit,  jars.  See  Roth, 
The  Natives  of  Sarawak  and  British  North  Borneo,  Vol.  I,  p.  372. 

2Throughout  the  Tinguian  tales  the  characters  are  frequently  de- 
scribed as  changing  themselves  into  oil,  centipedes,  birds,  and  other 
forms.  This  power  is  also  found  among  the  heroes  of  Dayak  and 
Malay  tales.  See  Roth,  op.  at.,  Vol.  I,  p.  312;  Perham,  Journal  Straits 
Branch  R.,  Asiatic  Society,  No.  16,  1886 ;  Wilkinson,  Malay  Beliefs,  pp. 
32,  59  (London,  1906). 

[20] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

through  the  bamboo  floor  and  made  her  escape  with- 
out anyone  seeing  her. 

On  and  on  she  went  until  she  came  to  the  middle 
of  the  jungle,  and  then  she  met  a  wild  rooster  who 
asked  her  where  she  was  going. 

"I  am  running  away  from  my  husband,"  replied 
Aponibolinayen,  "for  he  has  three  noses  and  I  do  not 
want  to  live  with  him." 

"Oh,"  said  the  rooster,  "some  crazy  person  must 
have  told  you  that.  Do  not  believe  it.  Gawigawen 
is  a  handsome  man,  for  I  have  often  seen  him  when 
he  comes  here  to  snare  chickens." * 

But  Aponibolinayen  paid  no  heed  to  the  rooster,  and 
she  went  on  until  she  reached  a  big  tree  where  perched 
a  monkey,  and  he  also  asked  where  she  was  going. 

"I  am  running  away  from  my  husband,"  answered 
the  girl,  "for  he  has  three  noses  and  I  do  not  want  to 
live  with  him." 

"Oh,  do  not  believe  that,"  said  the  monkey.  "Some- 
one who  told  you  that  must  have  wanted  to  marry 
him  herself,  for  he  is  a  handsome  man." 

Still  Aponibolinayen  went  on  until  she  came  to  the 
ocean,  and  then,  as  she  could  go  no  farther,  she  sat 
down  to  rest.  As  she  sat  there  pondering  what  she 
should  do,  a  carabao2  came  along,  and  thinking  that 


lrnie  Tinguian  place  a  tame  rooster  in  an  open  spot  in  the  forest 
and  surround  him  with  a  line  to  which  slip  nooses  are  attached.  The 
crowing  of  this  bird  attracts  wild  ones  which  come  to  fight  him  and 
are  caught  in  the  nooses. 

"The  water  buffalo  now  used  as  the  beast  of  burden  throughout  the 
Philippinet. 

[21] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

she  would  ride  a  while  she  climbed  up  on  its  back. 
No  sooner  had  she  done  so  than  the  animal  plunged 
into  the  water  and  swam  with  her  until  they  reached 
the  other  side  of  the  great  ocean. 

There  they  came  to  a  large  orange  tree,  and  the 
carabao  told  her  to  eat  some  of  the  luscious  fruit  while 
he  fed  on  the  grass  nearby.  As  soon  as  he  had  left  her, 
however,  he  ran  straight  to  his  master,  Kadayadawan, 
and  told  him  of  the  beautiful  girl. 

Kadayadawan  was  very  much  interested  and  quickly 
combed  his  hair  and  oiled  it,  put  on  his  striped  coat1 
and  belt,  and  went  with  the  carabao  to  the  orange  tree. 
Aponibolinayen,  looking  down  from  her  place  in  the 
tree,  was  surprised  to  see  a  man  coming  with  her  friend, 
the  carabao,  but  as  they  drew  near,  she  began  talking 
with  him,  and  soon  they  became  acquainted.  Before 
long,  Kadayadawan  had  persuaded  the  girl  to  become 
his  wife,  and  he  took  her  to  his  home.  From  that 
time  every  night  his  house  looked  as  if  it  was  on  fire, 
because  of  the  beauty  of  his  bride. 

After  they  had  been  married  for  some  time,  Kada- 
yadawan and  Aponibolinayen  decided  to  make  a  cere- 
mony2 for  the  spirits,  so  they  called  the  magic 
betel-nuts3  and  oiled  them  and  said  to  them, 

"Go  to  all  the  towns  and  invite  our  relatives  to  come 
to  the  ceremony  which  we  shall  make.  If  they  do  not 


'The  ordinary  dress  of  the  Tinguian  man  is  a  clout  and  a  striped 
belt,  in  which  he  carries  his  tobacco  and  small  articles.  Some  of  them 
also  possess  striped  cotton  coats,  which  they  wear  on  special  occasions. 

2See  note  2,  p.  12. 

"See  note  i,  p.  13. 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

want  to  come,  then  grow  on  their  knees  until  they  are 
willing  to  attend." 

So  the  betel-nuts  started  in  different  directions  and 
one  went  to  Aponibalagen  in  Nalpangan  and  said, 

"Kadayadawan  is  making  a  ceremony  for  the  spirits, 
and  I  have  come  to  summon  you  to  attend." 

"We  cannot  go,"  said  Aponibalagen,  "for  we  are 
searching  for  my  sister  who  is  lost" 

"You  must  come,"  replied  the  betel-nut,  "or  I  shall 
grow  on  your  knee." 

"Grow  on  my  pig,"  answered  Aponibalagen;  so  the 
betel-nut  went  on  to  the  pig's  back  and  grew  into  a  tall 
tree,  and  it  became  so  heavy  that  the  pig  could  not 
carry  it,  but  squealed  all  the  time." 

Then  Aponibalagen,  seeing  that  he  must  obey,  said 
to  the  betel-nut, 

"Get  off  my  pig,  and  we  will  go." 

The  betel-nut  got  off  the  pig's  back,  and  the  people 
started  for  the  ceremony.  When  they  reached  the 
river,  Gawigawen  was  there  waiting  to  cross,  for  the 
magic  nuts  had  forced  him  to  go  also.  Then  Kada- 
yadawan, seeing  them,  sent  more  betel-nuts  to  the 
river,  and  the  people  were  carried  across  by  the  nuts. 

As  soon  as  they  reached  the  town  the  dancing  began, 
and  while  Gawigawen  was  dancing  with  Aponibolinayen 
he  seized  her  and  put  her  in  his  belt.1  Kadayadawan, 
who  saw  this,  was  so  angry  that  he  threw  his  spear  and 
killed  Gawigawen.  Then  Aponibolinayen  escaped  and 

JThis  peculiar  idea,  which  frequently  appears  in  Tinguian  tales, 
is  also  found  in  Javanese  literature.  See  Bezmer,  Volksdichtung  aut 
Indonesien,  p.  47  (Haag,  1904). 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

ran  into  the  house,  and  her  husband  brought  his  victim 
back  to  life,  and  asked  him  why  he  had  seized  the 
wife  of  his  host.  Gawigawen  explained  that  she  was 
his  wife  who  had  been  lost,  and  the  people  were  very 
much  surprised,  for  they  had  not  recognized  her  at  first. 

Then  all  the  people  discussed  what  should  be  done 
to  bring  peace  between  the  two  men,  and  it  was  finally 
decided  that  Kadayadawan  must  pay  both  Aponibala- 
gen  and  Gawigawen  the  price  that  was  first  demanded 
for  the  beautiful  girl. 

After  this  was  done  all  were  happy;  and  the 
guardian  spirit  of  Kadayadawan  gave  them  a  golden 
house  in  which  to  live. 


GAWIGAWEN  OF  ADASEN 

Tinguian 

A  PONIBOLINAYEN  was  sick  with  a  headache, 
•^  *•  and  she  lay  on  a  mat  alone  in  her  house.  Sud- 
denly she  remembered  some  fruit  that  she  had  heard 
of  but  had  never  seen,  and  she  said  to  herself,  uOh,  I 
wish  I  had  some  of  the  oranges  of  Gawigawen  of 
Adasen." 

Now  Aponibolinayen  did  not  realize  that  she  had 
spoken  aloud,  but  Aponitolau,  her  husband,  lying  in 
the  spirit  house1  outside,  heard  her  talking  and  asked 
what  it  was  she  said.  Fearing  to  tell  him  the  truth  lest 
he  should  risk  his  life  in  trying  to  get  the  oranges  for 
her,  she  said:  "I  wish  I  had  some  biw"  (a  fruit). 

Aponitolau  at  once  got  up,  and,  taking  a  sack,  went 
out  to  find  some  of  the  fruit  for  his  wife.  When  he 
returned  with  the  sack  full,  she  said : 

"Put  it  on  the  bamboo  hanger  above  the  fire,  and 
when  my  head  is  better  I  will  eat  it." 

So  Aponitolau  put  the  fruit  on  the  hanger  and 
returned  to  the  spirit  house,  but  when  Aponibolinayen 
tried  to  eat,  the  fruit  made  her  sick  and  she  threw  it 
away. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  called  Aponitolau  as  he  heard 
her  drop  the  fruit 


'See  note  3,  p.  15. 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"I  merely  dropped  one,"  she  replied,  and  returned 
to  her  mat. 

After  a  while  Aponibolinayen  again  said: 

"Oh,  I  wish  I  had  some  of  the  oranges  of  Gawigawen 
of  Adasen,"  and  Aponitolau,  who  heard  her  from  the 
spirit  house,  inquired: 

"What  is  that  you  say?" 

"I  wish  I  had  some  fish  eggs,"  answered  his  wife; 
for  she  did  not  want  him  to  know  the  truth. 

Then  Aponitolau  took  his  net  and  went  to  the 
river,  determined  to  please  his  wife  if  possible.  When 
he  had  caught  a  nice  fish  he  opened  it  with  his  knife 
and  took  out  the  eggs.  Then  he  spat  on  the  place 
he  had  cut,  and  it  was  healed  and  the  fish  swam 
away.1 

Pleased  that  he  was  able  to  gratify  his  wife's  wishes, 
he  hastened  home  with  the  eggs;  and  while  his  wife 
was  roasting  them  over  the  fire,  he  returned  to  the 
spirit  house.  She  tried  to  eat,  but  the  eggs  did  not 
taste  good  to  her,  and  she  threw  them  down  under  the 
house  to  the  dogs. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  called  Aponitolau.  "Why 
are  the  dogs  barking?" 

"I  dropped  some  of  the  eggs,"  replied  his  wife,  and 
she  went  back  to  her  mat. 

By  and  by  she  again  said : 

"I  wish  I  had  some  of  the  oranges  of  Gawigawen 
of  Adasen." 


lrThe  powerful  deeds  of  these  heroes  often  resemble  the  miraculoui 
achievements  of  biblical  and  ancient  times. 

[26] 


TINGUIAN  HUNTERS 


RETURNING  FROM  THE  HUNT 


HUNTING  WITH  THE  BLOWGUN 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

But  when  her  husband  asked  what  she  wished,  she 
replied : 

"I  want  a  deer's  liver  to  eat." 

So  Aponitolau  took  his  dogs  to  the  mountains,  where 
they  hunted  until  they  caught  a  deer,  and  when  he  had 
,cut  out  its  liver  he  spat  on  the  wound,  and  it  was  healed 
so  that  the  deer  ran  away. 

But  Aponibolinayen  could  not  eat  the  liver  any  more 
than  she  could  the  fruit  or  the  fish  eggs;  and  when 
Aponitolau  heard  the  dogs  barking,  he  knew  that  she 
had  thrown  it  away.  Then  he  grew  suspicious  and, 
changing  himself  into  a  centipede,1  hid  in  a  crack  in  the 
floor.  And  when  his  wife  again  wished  for  some  of 
the  oranges,  he  overheard  her. 

"Why  did  you  not  tell  me  the  truth,  Aponibolina- 
yen?" he  asked. 

"Because,"  she  replied,  uno  one  who  has  gone  to 
Adasen  has  ever  come  back,  and  I  did  not  want  you  to 
risk  your  life." 

Nevertheless  Aponitolau  determined  to  go  for  the 
oranges,  and  he  commanded  his  wife  to  bring  him  rice 
straw.  After  he  had  burned  it  he  put  the  ashes  in  the 
water  with  which  he  washed  his  hair.2  Then  she, 
brought  cocoanut  oil  and  rubbed  his  hair,  and  fetched 
a  dark  clout,  a  fancy  belt,  and  a  head-band,  and  she 
baked  cakes  for  him  to  take  on  the  journey.  Aponi- 


^ee  note  2,  p.  20. 

"The  Tinguian  of  today  do  not  possess  soap,  but  in  its  place  they 
use  the  ashes  from  rice  straw,  or  not  infrequently  they  soak  the  bark 
from  a  certain  tree  in  the  water  in  which  they  are  to  wash  their  hair. 

[27] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

tolau  cut  a  vine1  which  he  planted  by  the  stove,2  and 
told  his  wife  that  if  the  leaves  wilted  she  would  know 
that  he  was  dead.  Then  he  took  his  spear  and  head-ax 3 
and  started  on  the  long  journey. 

When  Aponitolau  arrived  at  the  well  of  a  giantess, 
all  the  betel-nut  trees  bowed.  Then  the  giantess 
shouted  and  all  the  world  trembled.  "How  strange," 
thought  Aponitolau,  "that  all  the  world  shakes  when 
that  woman  shouts."  But  he  continued  on  his  way 
without  stopping. 

As  he  passed  the  place  of  the  old  woman,  Alokotan, 
she  sent  out  her  little  dog  and  it  bit  his  leg. 

"Do  not  proceed,"  said  the  old  woman,  "for  ill  luck 
awaits  you.  If  you  go  on,  you  will  never  return  to 
your  home." 


*The  lawed  vine.  In  ancient  Egypt  and  in  India  it  was  a  common 
belief  that  friends  or  relatives  could  tell  from  the  condition  of  a  cer- 
tain tree  or  vine  whether  the  absent  one  was  well  or  dead:  if  the 
vine  thrived,  they  knew  that  all  was  well,  but  if  it  wilted  they  mourned 
for  him  as  dead.  It  is  interesting  to  find  the  identical  belief  in  the 
northern  Philippines. 

''The  Tinguian  stove  consists  of  a  bed  of  ashes  in  which  three  stones 
are  sunk,  and  on  these  the  pots  are  placed. 

3It  appears  that  these  people  of  ancient  times  possessed  the  same 
weapons  as  those  of  today.  The  Tinguian  ordinarily  wears  a  head-ax 
thrust  into  his  belt,  and  when  at  work  this  is  his  hand  tool.  When  on 
a  hunt  or  during  warfare  he  also  carries  a  wooden  shield  and  a  steel- 
pointed  spear  from  eight  to  ten  feet  in  length.  For  attacks  at  a  dis- 
tance he  depends  on  the  spear,  but  in  a  close  encounter  he  uses  his 
head-ax  and  shield,  the  latter  being  oblong  in  shape  and  having  two 
prongs  at  one  end  and  three  at  the  other.  The  two  prongs  are  to 
be  slipped  about  the  neck  of  the  victim  while  the  head-ax  does  its 
work,  or  the  three  prongs  may  be  slipped  about  the  legs  in  the  same 
way. 

[28] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

But  Aponitolau  paid  no  attention  to  the  old 
woman,  and  by  and  by  he  came  to  the  home  of  the 
lightning. 

"Where  are  you  going  ?"  asked  the  lightning. 

"I  am  going  to  get  some  oranges  of  Gawigawen  of 
Adasen,"  replied  Aponitolau. 

"Go  stand  on  that  high  rock  that  I  may  see  what 
your  sign  is,"  commanded  the  lightning. 

So  he  stood  on  the  high  rock,  but  when  the  lightning 
flashed  Aponitolau  dodged. 

"Do  not  go,"  said  the  lightning,  "for  you  have  a 
bad  sign,  and  you  will  never  come  back." 

Still  Aponitolau  did  not  heed. 

Soon  he  arrived  at  the  place  of  Silit  (loud  thunder)  ,* 
who  also  asked  him : 

"Where  are  you  going,  Aponitolau?" 

"I  am  going  to  get  oranges  of  Gawigawen  of 
Adasen,"  he  replied. 

Then  the  thunder  commanded: 

"Stand  on  that  high  stone  so  that  I  can  see  if  you 
have  a  good  sign." 

He  stood  on  the  high  stone,  and  when  the  thunder 
made  a  loud  noise  he  jumped.  Whereupon  Silit  also 
advised  him  not  to  go  on. 

In  spite  of  all  the  warnings,  Aponitolau  continued 
his  journey,  and  upon  coming  to  the  ocean  he  used 


this  and  other  incidents  it  is  evident  that  these  people  talked 
with  the  lightning  and  thunder.  They  still  have  great  regard  for  the 
omens  derived  from  these  forces;  but  it  is  now  believed  that  thunder 
is  the  dog  of  Kadaklan,  the  greatest  of  all  the  spirits,  and  that  by  the 
barking  of  this  dog,  the  god  makes  known  his  desires. 

[29] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

magical  power,  so  that  when  he  stepped  on  his  head-ax 
it  sailed  away,  carrying  him  far  across  the  sea  to  the 
other  side.  Then  after  a  short  walk  he  came  to  a 
spring  where  women  were  dipping  water,  and  he  asked 
what  spring  it  was. 

"This  is  the  spring  of  Gawigawen  of  Adasen," 
replied  the  women.  "And  who  are  you  that  you  dare 
come  here?" 

Without  replying  he  went  on  toward  the  town,  but 
he  found  that  he  could  not  go  inside,  for  it  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  bank  which  reached  almost  to  the  sky. 

While  he  stood  with  bowed  head  pondering  what 
he  should  do,  the  chief  of  the  spiders  came  up  and  asked 
why  he  was  so  sorrowful. 

"I  am  sad,"  answered  Aponitolau,  "because  I  cannot 
climb  up  this  bank." 

Then  the  spider  went  to  the  top  and  spun  a  thread,1 
and  upon  this  Aponitolau  climbed  up  into  town. 

Now  Gawigawen  was  asleep  in  his  spirit  house,  and 
when  he  awoke  and  saw  Aponitolau  sitting  near,  he 
was  surprised  and  ran  toward  his  house  to  get  his 
spear  and  head-ax,  but  Aponitolau  called  to  him,  saying: 

"Good  morning,  Cousin  Gawigawen.  Do  not  be 
angry;  I  only  came  to  buy  some  of  your  oranges  for 
my  wife." 

Then  Gawigawen  took  him  to  the  house  and  brought 
a  whole  carabao2  for  him  to  eat,  and  he  said: 


1Stories  in  which  animals  come  to  the  assistance  of  human  beings 
are  found  in  many  lands.  One  of  those  best  known  to  Europeans  is 
where  the  ants  sort  the  grain  for  Cinderella. 

3See  note  2,  p.  21. 

[30] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"If  you  cannot  eat  all  the  carabao,  you  cannot  have 
the  oranges  for  your  wife." 

Aporritolau  grew  very  sorrowful,  for  he  knew  that 
he  could  not  eat  all  the  meat,  but  just  at  that  moment 
the  chief  of  the  ants  and  flies  came  to  him  and  inquired 
what  was  the  trouble.  As  soon  as  he  was  told,  the 
chief  called  all  the  ants  and  flies  and  they  ate  the  whole 
carabao.  Aponitolau,  greatly  relieved,  went  then  to 
Gawigawen  and  said: 

"I  have  finished  eating  the  food  which  you  gave 


me." 


Gawigawen  was  greatly  surprised  at  this,  and,  lead- 
ing the  way  to  the  place  where  the  oranges  grew, 
he  told  Aponitolau  to  climb  the  tree  and  get  all  he 
wanted. 

As  he  was  about  to  ascend  the  tree  Aponitolau 
noticed  that  the  branches  were  sharp  knives,  so  he  went 
as  carefully  as  he  could.  Nevertheless,  when  he  had 
secured  two  oranges,  he  stepped  on  one  of  the  knives 
and  was  cut.  He  quickly  fastened  the  fruit  to  his  spear, 
and  immediately  it  flew  away  straight  to  his  town  and 
into  his  house. 

Aponibolinayen  was  just  going  down  the  bamboo 
ladder  out  of  the  house,  and  hearing  something  drop 
on  the  floor  she  went  back  to  look  and  found  the 
oranges  from  Adasen.  She  eagerly  ate  the  fruit, 
rejoicing  that  her  husband  had  been  able  to  reach  the 
place  where  they  grew.  Then  she  thought  to  look  at 
the  vine,  whose  leaves  were  wilted,  and  she  knew  that 
her  husband  was  dead. 

Soon  after  this  a  son  was  born  to  Aponibolinayen, 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK. TALES 

and  she  called  his  name  Kanag.  He  grew  rapidly, 
becoming  a  strong  lad,  and  he  was  the  bravest  of  all 
his  companions.  One  day  while  Kanag  was  playing 
out  in  the  yard,  he  spun  his  top  and  it  struck  the  gar- 
bage pot  of  an  old  woman,  who  became  very  angry 
and  cried:  , 

"If  you  were  a  brave  boy,  you  would  get  your  father 
whom  Gawigawen  killed." 

Kanag  ran  to  the  house  crying,  and  asked  his  mother 
what  the  old  woman  meant,  for  he  had  never  heard 
the  story  of  his  father's  death.  As  soon  as  he  learned 
what  had  happened,  the  boy  determined  to  search  for 
his  father,  and,  try  as  she  would,  his  mother  could  not 
dissuade  him. 

As  he  was  departing  through  the  gate  of  the  town 
with  his  spear  and  head-ax,  Kanag  struck  his  shield 
and  it  sounded  like  a  thousand  warriors. 

"How  brave  that  boy  is !"  said  the  surprised  people. 
"He  is  braver  even  than  his  father." 

When  he  reached  the  spring  of  the  giantess,  he  again 
struck  his  shield  and  shouted  so  that  the  whole  world 
trembled.  Then  the  giantess  said : 

"I  believe  that  someone  is  going  to  fight,  and  he 
will  have  success." 

As  soon  as  Kanag  reached  the  place  where  the  old 
woman,  Alokotan,  lived,  she  sent  her  dog  after  him, 
but  with  one  blow  of  his  head-ax  he  cut  off  the  dog's 
head.  Then  Alokotan  asked  where  he  was  going,  and 
when  he  had  told  her,  she  said: 

"Your  father  is  dead,  but  I  believe  that  you  will  find 
him,  for  you  have  a  good  sign." 

[32] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

He  hurried  on  and  arrived  at  the  place  where  light- 
ning wasr  and  it  asked : 

"Where  are  you  going,  little  boy?" 

"I  am  going  to  Adasen  to  get  my  father,"  answerd 
Kanag. 

"Go  stand  on  that  high  rock  that  I  may  see  what 
your  sign  is,"  said  the  lightning. 

So  he  stood  on  the  high  rock,  and  when  the  bright 
flash  came  he  did  not  move,  and  the  lightning  bade 
him  hasten  on,  as  he  had  a  good  sign. 

The  thunder,  which  saw  him  passing,  also  called 
to  ask  where  he  was  going,  and  it  commanded  him  to 
stand  on  the  high  rock.  And  when  the  thunder  made 
a  loud  noise  Kanag  did  not  move,  and  it  bade  him  go 
on,  as  his  sign  was  good. 

The  women  of  Adasen  were  at  the  spring  of  Gawiga- 
wen  dipping  water,  when  suddenly  they  were  startled 
by  a  great  noise.  They  rose  up,  expecting  to  see  a 
thousand  warriors  coming  near;  but  though  they  looked 
all  around  they  could  see  nothing  but  a  young  boy 
striking  a  shield. 

"Good  morning,  women  who  are  dipping  water," 
said  Kanag.  "Tell  Gawigawen  that  he  must  prepare, 
for  I  am  coming  to  fight  him." 

So  all  the  women  ran  up  to  the  town  and  told 
Gawigawen  that  a  strange  boy  was  at  the  spring  and 
he  had  come  to  fight. 

"Go  and  tell  him,"  said  Gawigawen,  "that  if  it  is 
true  that  he  is  brave,  he  will  come  into  the  town,  if  he 


can." 


When  Kanag  reached  the  high  bank  outside  the 

[33] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

town,  he  jumped  like  a  flitting  bird  up  the  bank  into 
the  town  and  went  straight  to  the  spirit  house  of 
Gawigawen.  He  noticed  that  the  roofs  of  both  the 
dwelling  and  the  spirit  houses  were  of  hair,  and  that 
around  the  town  were  many  heads,1  and  he  pondered : 

"This  is  why  my  father  did  not  return.  Gawigawen 
is  a  brave  man,  but  I  will  kill  him." 

As  soon  as  Gawigawen  saw  him  in  the  yard  he  said: 

"How  brave  you  are,  little  boy;  why  did  you  come 
here?" 

"I  came  to  get  my  father,"  answered  Kanag;  "for 
you  kept  him  when  he  came  to  get  oranges  for  my 
mother.  If  you  do  not  give  him  to  me,  I  will  kill  you." 

Gawigawen  laughed  at  this  brave  speech  and  said: 

"Why,  one  of  my  fingers  will  fight  you.  You  shall 
never  go  back  to  your  town,  but  you  shall  stay  here  and 
be  like  your  father." 

"We  shall  see,"  said  Kanag.  "Bring  your  arms  and 
let  us  fight  here  in  the  yard." 

Gawigawen  was  beside  himself  with  rage  at  this  bold 
speech,  and  he  brought  his  spear  and  his  head-ax  which 
was  as  big  as  half  the  sky.  Kanag  would  not  throw 
first,  for  he  wanted  to  prove  himself  brave,  so  Gawiga- 
wen took  aim  and  threw  his  head-ax  at  the  boy.  Now 
Kanag  used  magical  power,  so  that  he  became  an  ant 


JIt  was  the  ancient  custom  to  place  the  heads  of  slain  enemies  at 
the  gate  or  around  the  town,  and  this  practice  still  prevails  with  some 
of  the  surrounding  tribes.  More  recently  it  was  the  custom  to  expose 
the  head  at  the  gate  of  the  town  for  three  days,  after  which  followed 
a  great  celebration  when  the  skulls  were  broken  and  pieces  were  given 
to  the  guests. 

[34] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

and  was  not  hit  by  the  weapon.  Gawigawen  laughed 
loudly  when  he  looked  around  and  could  not  see  the 
boy,  for  he  thought  that  he  had  been  killed.  Soon, 
however,  Kanag  reappeared,  standing  on  the  head-ax, 
and  Gawigawen,  more  furious  than  ever,  threw  his 
spear.  Again  Kanag  disappeared,  and  Gawigawen  was 
filled  with  surprise. 

Then  it  was  Kanag's  turn  and  his  spear  went 
directly  through  the  body  of  the  giant.  He  ran 
quickly  and  cut  off  five  of  the  heads,1  but  the  sixth  he 
spared  until  Gawigawen  should  have  shown  him  his 
father. 

As  they  went  about  the  town  together,  Kanag  found 
that  the  skin  of  his  father  had  been  used  for  a  drum- 
head. His  hair  decorated  the  house,  and  his  head  was 
at  the  gate  of  the  town,  while  his  body  was  put  beneath 
the  house.  After  he  had  gathered  all  the  parts  of  the 
body  together,  Kanag  used  magical  power,  and  his 
father  came  to  life. 

"Who  are  you?"  asked  Aponitolau;  "how  long  have 
I  slept?" 

"I  am  your  son,"  said  Kanag.  "You  were  not 
asleep  but  dead,  and  here  is  Gawigawen  who  kept  you. 
Take  my  head-ax  and  cut  off  his  remaining  head." 

So  Aponitolau  took  the  head-ax,  but  when  he  struck 
Gawigawen  it  did  not  injure  him. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Father?"  asked  Kanag;  and 

*In  their  beliefs  of  today  the  Tinguian  recognize  many  giants, 
some  with  more  than  one  head.  In  a  part  of  the  ritual  of  one  cere- 
mony we  read,  "A  man  opens  the  door  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  bark- 
ing and  he  sees  a  man,  fat  and  tall,  with  nine  heads." 

[31] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

taking  the  weapon  he  cut  off  the  sixth  head  of 
Gawigawen. 

Then  Kanag  and  his  father  used  magic  so  that  the 
spears  and  head-axes  flew  about,  killing  all  the  people 
in  the  town,  and  the  heads  and  valuable  things  went 
to  their  home. 

When  Aponibolinayen  saw  all  these  come  into  her 
house,  she  ran  to  look  at  the  vine  by  the  stove,  and  it 
was  green  and  looked  like  a  jungle.  Then  she  knew 
that  her  son  was  alive,  and  she  was  happy.  And  when 
the  father  and  son  returned,  all  the  relatives  came  to 
their  house  for  a  great  feast,  and  all  were  so  happy 
that  the  whole  world  smiled. 


[36] 


THE  STORY  OF  GAYGAYOMA  WHO  LIVES 
UP  ABOVE 

Tingulan 

E  day,  while  Aponitolau  sat  weaving  a  basket 
under  his  house,  he  began  to  feel  very  hungry 
and  longed  for  something  sweet  to  chew.  Then  he 
remembered  that  his  field  was  still  unplanted.  He 
called  to  his  wife  who  was  in  the  room  above,  and  said: 
"Come,  Aponibolinayen,  let  us  go  to  the  field  and  plant 
some  sugar-cane." 

So  Aponibolinayen  came  down  out  of  the  house  with 
a  bamboo  tube,1  and  while  she  went  to  the  spring  to 
fill  it  with  water,  Aponitolau  made  some  cuttings,  and 
they  went  together  to  the  field,  which  was  some  distance 
from  the  house. 

Aponitolau  loosened  the  earth  with  his  long  stick2 
and  set  out  the  cuttings  he  had  brought,  while  his  wife 
sprinkled  them  with  water  from  the  bamboo  tube.  And 
when  they  had  filled  the  field,  they  returned  home, 
happy  to  think  of  the  splendid  cane  they  should  have. 

After  seven  days  Aponitolau  went  back  to  the  field 


JA  large  bamboo  pole,  with  all  but  the  end  section  cut  out,  serves 
for  a  water  bucket. 

2A  long  bamboo  pole,  in  one  end  of  which  a  hard-wood  point  is 
inserted.  This  is  thrust  into  the  ground,  and  in  the  hole  thus  made 
the  grain  or  cuttings  are  planted.  This  old  method  is  still  in  use  in 
some  sections  of  the  mountains,  but  on  the  lowlands  a  primitive  plow 
is  used  to  break  the  soil. 

[37] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

to  see  if  the  plants  had  lived,  and  he  found  that  the 
leaves  were  already  long  and  pointed.  This  delighted 
him,  and  while  he  stood  looking  at  it  he  grew  impa- 
tient and  determined  to  use  his  magical  power  so  that 
the  cane  would  grow  very  fast.  In  five  days  he  again 
visited  the  field  and  found  that  the  stalks  were  tall  and 
ready  to  chew.  He  hurried  home  to  tell  Aponiboli- 
nayen  how  fast  their  plants  had  grown,  and  she  was 
proud  of  her  powerful  husband. 

Now  about  this  time  Gaygayoma,  who  was  the 
daughter  of  Bagbagak,  a  big  star,  and  Sinag,  the  moon, 
looked  down  from  her  home  in  the  sky,  and  when  she 
saw  the  tall  sugar-cane  growing  below,  she  was  seized 
with  a  desire  to  chew  it.  She  called  to  her  father, 
Bagbagak,  and  said: 

uOh,  Father,  please  send  the  stars  down  to  the  earth 
to  get  some  of  the  sugar-cane  that  I  see,  for  I  must 
have  it  to  chew." 

So  Bagbagak  sent  the  stars  down,  and  when  they 
reached  the  bamboo  fence  that  was  around  the  field 
they  sprang  over  it,  and  each  broke  a  stalk  of  the  cane 
and  pulled  some  beans  which  Aponibolinayen  had 
planted,  and  the  stems  of  these  beans  were  of  gold. 
Gaygayoma  was  delighted  with  the  things  that  the  stars 
brought  her.  She  cooked  the  beans  with  the  golden 
stems  and  spent  long  hours  chewing  the  sweet  cane. 
When  all  that  the  stars  brought  was  gone,  however,  she 
grew  restless  and  called  to  her  father,  the  big  star: 

"Come,  Father,  and  go  with  me  to  the  place  where 
the  sugar-cane  grows,  for  I  want  to  see  it  now." 

Bagbagak  called  many  stars  to  accompany  him,  and 

[38] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

they  all  followed  Gaygayoma  down  to  the  place  where 
the  sugar-cane  grew.  Some  sat  on  the  bamboo  fence, 
while  others  went  to  the  middle  of  the  field,  and  all 
ate  as  much  as  they  wished. 

The  day  following  this,  Aponitolau  said  to  his  wife : 

"Aponibolinayen,  I  am  going  to  the  field  to  see  if 
the  bamboo  fence  is  strong,  for  the  carabao  will  try 
to  get  in  to  eat  our  sugar-cane." 

So  he  set  out,  and  when  he  reached  the  field  and 
began  looking  along  the  fence  to  see  if  it  was  strong, 
he  kept  finding  the  stalks  that  the  stars  had  chewed, 
and  he  knew  that  someone  had  been  there.  He  went 
into  the  middle  of  the  field,  and  there  on  the  ground 
was  a  piece  of  gold,  and  he  said  to  himself: 

"How  strange  this  is !  I  believe  some  beautiful  girl 
must  have  chewed  my  cane.  I  will  watch  tonight,  and 
maybe  she  will  return  for  more."  , 

As  darkness  came  on  he  had  no  thought  of  returning 
home,  but  he  made  his  meal  of  the  sugar-cane,  and 
then  hid  in  the  tall  grass  near  the  field  to  wait.  By 
and  by  dazzling  lights  blinded  his  eyes,  and  when  he 
could  see  again  he  was  startled  to  find  many  stars  fall- 
ing from  the  sky,  and  soon  he  heard  someone  breaking 
the  cane.  Suddenly  a  star  so  large  that  it  looked  like 
a  flame  of  fire  fell  into  the  field,  and  then  a  beautiful 
object  near  the  fence  took  off  her  dress  which  looked 
like  a  star,  and  she  appeared  like  the  half  of  the 
rainbow. 

Never  had  Aponitolau  seen  such  sights;  and  for  a 
while  he  lay  shaking  with  fear. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  he  said  to  himself.     "If  I  do 

[39] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

not  frighten  these  companions  of  the  beautiful  girl, 
they  may  eat  me." 

With  a  great  effort  he  jumped  up  and  frightened  the 
stars  till  they  all  flew  up,  and  when  the  pretty  girl 
came  looking  for  her  dress  she  found  Aponitolau  sit- 
ting on  it.1  "You  must  forgive  us,"  she  said,  "for  your 
sugar-cane  is  very  sweet,  and  we  wanted  some  to  chew." 

"You  are  welcome  to  the  sugar-cane,"  answered 
Aponitolau.  "But  now  we  must  tell  our  names  accord- 
ing to  our  custom,  for  it  is  bad  for  us  to  talk  until  we 
know  each  other's  names." 

Then  he  gave  her  some  betel-nut  and  they  chewed 
together,2  and  he  said: 

"Now  it  is  our  custom  to  tell  our  names." 

"Yes,"  said  she;  "but  you  tell  first." 

"My  name  is  Aponitolau  and  I  am  the  husband  of 
Aponibolinayen." 

"I  am  Gaygayoma,  the  daughter  of  Bagbagak  and 
Sinag  up  in  the  air,"  said  the  girl.  "And  now,  Aponi- 
tolau, even  though  you  have  a  wife,  I  am  going  to  take 
you  up  to  the  sky,  for  I  wish  to  marry  you.  If  you  are 
not  willing  to  go,  I  shall  call  my  companion  stars  to 
eat  you." 

Aponitolau  shook  with  fear,  for  he  knew  now  that 
the  woman  was  a  spirit;  and  as  he  dared  not  refuse, 
he  promised  to  go  with  her.  Soon  after  that  the  stars 


*In  European,  Asiatic,  African,  and  Malaysian  lore  we  find  stories 
of  beings  with  star  dresses:  when  they  wear  the  dresses  they  are 
stars;  when  they  take  them  off  they  are  human.  See  Cox,  An  Intro- 
duction to  Folklore,  p.  121  (London,  1904). 

2See  note  i,  p.  9. 

[40] 


SUGAR  CANE  PRESS 


VATS  FOR  BOILING  SUGAR  CANE  JUICE 


GRINDING  CORN 


MAKING  A  HARROW 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

dropped  a  basket  that  Gaygayoma  had  ordered  them 
to  make,  and  Aponitolau  stepped  in  with  the  lovely  star 
and  was  drawn  quickly  through  the  air  up  to  the  sky. 
They  were  met  on  their  arrival  by  a  giant  star  whom 
Gaygayoma  introduced  as  her  father,  and  he  told 
Aponitolau  that  he  had  acted  wisely  in  coming,  for  had 
he  objected,  the  other  stars  would  have  eaten  him. 

After  Aponitolau  had  lived  with  the  stars  for  some 
time,  Gaygayoma  asked  him  to  prick  between  her  last 
two  fingers,  and  as  he  did  so  a  beautiful  baby  boy 
popped  out.  They  named  him  Takyayen,  and  he  grew 
very  fast  and  was  strong. 

All  this  time  Aponitolau  had  never  forgotten  Aponi- 
bolinayen  who,  he  knew,  was  searching  for  him  on  the 
earth,  but  he  had  been  afraid  to  mention  her  to  the 
stars.  When  the  boy  was  three  months  old,  however, 
he  ventured  to  tell  Gaygayoma  of  his  wish  to  return  to 
the  earth. 

At  first  she  would  not  listen  to  him,  but  he  pleaded  so 
hard  that  at  last  she  consented  to  let  him  go  for  one 
moon.1  If  he  did  not  return  at  the  end  of  that  time, 
she  said,  she  would  send  the  stars  to  eat  him.  Then 
she  called  for  the  basket  again,  and  they  were  lowered 
to  the  earth.  There  Aponitolau  got  out,  but  Gayga- 
yoma and  the  baby  returned  to  the  sky. 

Aponibolinayen  was  filled  with  joy  at  the  sight  of 
her  husband  once  more,  for  she  had  believed  him 
dead,  and  she  was  very  thin  from  not  eating  while  he 
was  away.  Never  did  she  tire  of  listening  to  his 


'See  note   i,  p.   12. 

[41] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

stories  of  his  life  among  the  stars,  and  so  happy  was 
she  to  have  him  again  that  when  the  time  came  for 
him  to  leave  she  refused  to  let  him  go. 

That  night  many  stars  came  to  the  house.  Some 
stood  in  the  windows,  while  others  stayed  outside  by 
the  walls;  and  they  were  so  bright  that  the  house 
appeared  to  be  on  fire. 

Aponitolau  was  greatly  frightened,  and  he  cried  out 
to  his  wife : 

"You  have  done  wrong  to  keep  me  when  I  should 
have  gone.  I  feared  that  the  stars  would  eat  me  if  I 
did  not  obey  their  command,  and  now  they  have  come. 
Hide  me,  or  they  will  get  me." 

But  before  Aponibolinayen  could  answer,  Bagbagak 
himself  called  out: 

"Do  not  hide  from  us,  Aponitolau,  for  we  know 
that  you  are  in  the  corner  of  the  house.  Come  out  or 
we  shall  eat  you." 

Trembling  with  fear,  Aponitolau  appeared,  and 
when  the  stars  asked  him  if  he  was  willing  to  go  with 
them  he  dared  not  refuse. 

Now  Gaygayoma  had  grown  very  fond  of  Aponito- 
lau, and  she  had  commanded  the  stars  not  to  harm  him 
if  he  was  willing  to  return  to  her.  So  when  he  gave 
his  consent,  they  put  him  in  the  basket  and  flew  away 
with  him,  leaving  Aponibolinayen  very  sad  and  lonely. 
After  that  Aponitolau  made  many  trips  to  the  earth, 
but  at  Gaygayoma's  command  he  always  returned  to 
the  sky  to  spend  part  of  the  time  with  her. 

One  day  when  Takyayen  was  a  little  boy,  Aponitolau 
took  him  down  to  the  earth  to  see  his  half-brother, 

[42] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Kanag.  The  world  was  full  of  wonders  to  the  boy 
from  the  sky,  and  he  wanted  to  stay  there  always.  But 
after  some  time  while  he  and  Kanag  were  playing  out 
in  the  yard,  big  drops  of  water  began  to  fall  on  them. 
Kanag  ran  to  his  mother  and  cried: 

"Oh,  Mother,  it  is  raining,  and  the  sun  is  shining 
brightly!" 

But  Aponitolau,  looking  out,  said,  "No,  they  are 
the  tears  of  Gaygayoma,  for  she  sees  her  son  down 
below,  and  she  weeps  for  him." 

Then  he  took  Takyayen  back  to  his  mother  in  the 
sky,  and  she  was  happy  again. 

After  that  Takyayen  was  always  glad  when  he  was 
allowed  to  visit  the  earth,  but  each  time  when  his 
mother's  tears  began  to  fall,  he  returned  to  her.  When 
he  was  old  enough,  Aponitolau  selected  a  wife  for  him, 
and  after  that  Takyayen  always  lived  on  the  earth, 
but  Gaygayoma  stayed  in  the  sky. 


[43] 


THE  STORY  OF  DUMALAWI 

Tingman 

\  PONITOLAU  and  Aponibolinayen  had  a  son 
•**•  whose  name  was  Dumalawi.1  When  the  son  had 
become  a  young  man,  his  father  one  day  was  very 
angry  with  him,  and  tried  to  think  of  some  way  in  which 
to  destroy  him.  The  next  morning  he  said  to 
Dumalawi : 

"Son,  sharpen  your  knife,  and  we  will  go  to  the  for- 
est to  cut  some  bamboo." 

So  Dumalawi  sharpened  his  knife  and  went  with  his 
father  to  the  place  where  the  bamboo  grew,  and  they 
cut  many  sticks  and  sharpened  them  like  spears  at 
the  end. 

Dumalawi  wondered  why  they  made  them  thus,  but 
when  they  had  finished,  Aponitolau  said: 

uNow,  Son,  you  throw  them  at  me,  so  that  we  can 
see  which  is  the  braver.'1 

uNo,  Father,"  answered  Dumalawi.  "You  throw 
first,  if  you  want  to  kill  me." 

So  Aponitolau  threw  the  bamboo  sticks  one  by  one 
at  his  son,  but  he  could  not  hit  him.  Then  it  was  the 
son's  turn  to  throw,  but  he  said : 

"No,  I  cannot.  You  are  my  father,  and  I  do  not 
want  to  kill  you." 


1See  Preface,   p.  vii. 

[44] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

So  they  went  home.  But  Dumalawi  was  very  sor- 
rowful, for  he  knew  now  that  his  father  wanted  to 
destroy  him.  When  his  mother  called  him  to  dinner 
he  could  not  eat. 

Although  he  had  been  unsuccessful  in  his  first 
attempt,  Aponitolau  did  not  give  up  the  idea  of  getting 
rid  of  his  son,  and  the  next  day  he  said: 

"Come,  Dumalawi,  we  will  go  to  our  little  house  in 
the  field1  and  repair  it,  so  that  it  will  be  a  protection 
when  the  rainy  season  sets  in." 

The  father  and  son  went  together  to  the  field,  and 
when  they  reached  the  little  house,  Aponitolau,  point- 
ing to  a  certain  spot  in  the  ground,  said : 

"Dig  there,  and  you  will  find  a  jar  of  basi2  which 
I  buried  when  I  was  a  boy.  It  will  be  very  good  to 
drink  now." 

Dumalawi  dug  up  the  jar  and  they  tasted  the  wine, 
and  it  was  so  pleasing  to  them  that  they  drank  three 
cocoanut  shells  full,  and  Dumalawi  became  drunk. 
While  his  son  lay  asleep  on  the  ground,  Aponitolau 
decided  that  this  was  a  good  time  to  destroy  him,  so 
he  used  his  magical  power  and  there,  arose  a  great 
storm  which  picked  up  Dumalawi  in  his  sleep  and  car- 
ried him  far  away.  And  the  father  went  home  alone. 


*It  is  the  custom  to  have  a  small  bamboo  house  built  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  feet  from  the  ground  near  the  rice  fields,  and  in  this  some- 
one watches  every  day  during  the  growing  season  to  see  that  nothing 
breaks  in  to  destroy  the  grain.  Often  flappers  are  placed  in  different 
parts  of  the  field  and  a  connecting  string  leads  from  these  to  the  little 
house,  so  that  the  watcher  by  pulling  this  string  may  frighten  the  birds 
away  from  the  grain. 

2See  note  i,  p.  18. 

[45] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Now  when  Dumalawi  awoke,  he  was  in  the  middle 
of  a  field  so  wide  that  whichever  way  he  looked,  he 
could  not  see  the  end.  There  were  neither  trees  nor 
houses  in  the  field  and  no  living  thing  except  himself. 
And  he  felt  a  great  loneliness. 

By  and  by  he  used  his  magical  power,  and  many 
betel-nuts  grew  in  the  field,  and  when  they  bore  fruit 
it  was  covered  with  gold. 

"This  is  good,"  said  Dumalawi,  "for  I  will  scatter 
these  betel-nuts  and  they  shall  become  people,1  who 
will  be  my  neighbors." 

So  in  the  middle  of  the  night  he  cut  the  gold-covered 
betel-nuts  into  many  small  pieces  which  he  scattered  in 
all  directions.  And  in  the  early  morning,  when  he 
awoke,  he  heard  many  people  talking  around  the  house, 
and  many  roosters  crowed.  Then  Dumalawi  knew 
that  he  had  companions,  and  upon  going  out  he  walked 
about  where  the  people  were  warming  themselves2  by 
fires  in  their  yards,  and  he  visited  them  all. 

In  one  yard  was  a  beautiful  maiden,  Dapilisan,  and 
after  Dumalawi  had  talked  with  her  and  her  parents, 
he  went  on  to  the  other  yards,  but  she  was  ever  in  his 
thoughts.  As  soon  as  he  had  visited  all  the  people, 
he  returned  to  the  house  of  Dapilisan  and  asked  her 
parents  if  he  might  marry  her.  They  were  unwilling 
at  first,  for  they  feared  that  the  parents  of  Dumalawi 
might  not  like  it;  but  after  he  had  explained  that  his 

*See  Preface,  p.  vi. 

3The  nights  in  the  mountains  are  cold,  and  it  is  not  at  all  uncom- 
mon in  the  early  morning  to  see  groups  of  people  with  blankets 
wrapped  tightly  about  them,  squatting  around  small  fires  in  the  yards. 

[46] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

father  and  mother  did  not  want  him,  they  gave  their 
consent,  and  Dapilisan  became  his  bride. 

Soon  after  the  marriage  they  decided  to  perform  a 
ceremony1  for  the  spirits.  So  Dapilisan  sent  for  the 
betel-nuts  which  were  covered  with  gold,2  and  when 
they  were  brought  to  her,  she  said: 

"You  betel-nuts  that  are  covered  with  gold,  come 
here  and  oil  yourselves  and  go  and  invite  all  the  people 
in  the  world  to  come  to  our  ceremony." 

So  the  betel-nuts  oiled  themselves  and  went  to  invite 
the  people  in  the  different  towns. 

Soon  after  this  Aponibolinayen,  the  mother  of 
Dumalawi,  sat  alone  in  her  house,  still  mourning  the 
loss  of  her  son,  when  suddenly  she  was  seized  with  a 
desire  to  chew  betel-nut. 

"What  ails  me?"  she  said  to  herself;  why  do  I 
want  to  chew?  I  had  not  intended  to  eat  anything 
while  Dumalawi  was  away." 

So  saying,  she  took  down  her  basket  that  hung  on 
the  wall,  and  saw  in  it  a  betel-nut  covered  with  gold, 
and  when  she  was  about  to  cut  it,  it  said: 

"Do  not  cut  me,  for  I  have  come  to  invite  you  to 
the  ceremony  which  Dumalawi  and  his  wife  are  to 
make." 

Aponibolinayen  was  very  happy,  for  she  knew  now 
that  her  son  still  lived,  and  she  told  all  the  people  to 
wash  their  hair  and  prepare  to  go  to  the  rite.  So  they 
washed  their  clothes  and  their  hair  and  started  for  the 
home  of  Dumalawi;  and  Aponitolau,  the  father  of  the 


*8ee  note  a,  p.  12.  "See  note  i,  p.  13. 

[47] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLKTALES 

boy,  followed,  but  he  looked  like  a  crazy  man. 
When  the  people  reached  the  river  near  the  town, 
Dumalawi  sent  alligators  to  take  them  across,  but 
when  Aponitolau  got  on  the  alligator's  back  it  dived, 
and  he  was  thrown  back  upon  the  bank  of  the  river. 
All  the  others  were  carried  safely  over,  and  Aponitolau, 
who  was  left  on  the  bank  alone,  shouted  as  if  crazy 
until  Dumalawi  sent  another  alligator  to  carry  him 
across. 

Then  Dumalawi  ha  I  food  brought1  and  Dapilisan 
passed  basi  in  a  little  jar  that  looked  like  a  fist,2  and 
though  each  guest  drank  a  cupful  of  the  sweet  wine  the 
little  jar  was  still  a  third  full.  After  they  had  eaten 
and  drunk,  Aponibolinayen  spoke,  and,  telling  all  the 
people  that  she  was  glad  to  have  Dapilisan  for  a 
daughter-in-law,  added : 

"Now  we  are  going  to  pay  the  marriage  price3 
according  to  our  custom.  We  shall  fill  the  spirit  house  4 
nine  times  with  different  kinds  of  jars." 

Then  she  called,  "You  spirits5  who  live  in  different 


'See  note  i,  p.  17. 

2Compare  with  the  biblical  story  of  the  loaves  and  fishes.  For 
similar  incidents  among  the  Igorot  of  the  Philippines,  in  Borneo,  and 
in  India,  see  Jenks,  The  Bontoc  Igorot,  p.  202;  Seidenadel,  The 
Language  of  the  Bontoc  Igorot,  pp.  491,  41  ff.  (Chicago,  1909)  ;  Roth, 
The  Natives  of  Sarawak  and  British  North  Borneo,  Vol.  I,  p.  319; 
Tawney,  Katha  Sarlt  Sagara,  Vol.  II,  p.  3  (Calcutta,  1880)  ;  Bezemer, 
Volksdlchtung  aus  Indoneslen,  p.  49  (Haag,  1904). 

3See  note  i,  p.  15. 

4See  note  3,  p.  15. 

6There  appear  to  have  been  two  classes  of  spirits,  one  for  whom 
the  people  had  the  utmost  respect  and  reverence,  and  another  whom 
they  looked  upon  as  being  of  service  to  mortals. 

[48] 


Photo  by  Philippine  Bureau  of  Science 

TYPE  OF  MANDAYA  TREE  HOUSE 


ft, 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

springs,  get  the  jars  which  Dumalawi  must  pay  as  a 
marriage  price  for  Dapilisan." 

The  spirits  did  as  they  were  commanded,  and  when 
they  brought  the  jars  and  had  filled  the  spirit  house 
nine  times,  Aponibolinayen  said  to  the  parents  of 
Dapilisan: 

"I  think  that  now  we  have  paid  the  price  for  your 
daughter." 

But  Dalonagan,  the  mother  of  Dapilisan,  was  not 
satisfied,  and  said: 

uNo,  there  is  still  more  to  pay.'1 

"Very  well,"  replied  Aponibolinayen.  "Tell  us  what 
it  is  and  we  will  pay  it." 

Then  Dalonagan  called  a  pet  spider  and  said: 

"You  big  spider,  go  all  around  the  town,  and  as 
you  go  spin  a  thread1  on  which  Aponibolinayen  must 
string  golden  beads."  So  the  spider  spun  the  thread 
and  Aponibolinayen  again  called  to  the  spirits  of  the 
springs,  and  they  brought  golden  beads  which  they 
strung  on  the  thread.  Then  Dalonagan  hung  on  the 
thread,  and  when  it  did  not  break  she  declared  that 
the  debt  was  all  paid. 

After  this  the  people  feasted  and  made  merry,  and 
when  at  last  they  departed  for  home  Dumalawi  refused 
to  go  with  his  parents,  but  remained  with  his  wife  in 
the  town  he  had  created. 


1See  note  i,  p.  30. 


[49] 


THE  STORY  OF  KANAG 

Tinguian 

TT7"HEN  the  rice1  had  grown  tall  and  it  was  near 
the  time  for  it  to  ripen,  Aponitolau  and  Aponi- 
bolinayen  grew  fearful  lest  the  wild  pigs  should  break 
in  and  destroy  all  their  crop,  so  they  sent  their  son, 
Kanag,  to  the  field  to  guard  the  grain.  Kanag  will- 
ingly went  to  the  place,  but  when  he  found  that  the 
fences  were  all  strong  so  that  the  pigs  could  not  get 
in,  and  he  was  left  with  nothing  to  do,  life  in  the  little 
watch-house2  grew  lonely,  and  the  boy  became  very 
unhappy. 

Each  day  Aponitolau  carried  cooked  rice  and  meat 
to  his  son  in  the  field,  but  Kanag  could  not  eat  and 
always  bade  his  father  hang  it  in  the  watch-house  until 
he  should  want  it.  Each  time  Aponitolau  found  the 
food  of  the  day  before  still  untouched,  and  he  began  to 
suspect  that  the  boy  was  unhappy  at  having  to  guard 
the  grain.  But  he  said  nothing  of  his  fears  to 
Aponibolinayen. 

JThe  word  used  in  the  original  is  langpadan,  meaning  mountain  rice. 
This  variety  requires  no  irrigation  and  is  planted  to  some  extent  at 
the  present  day,  but  the  great  bulk  of  the  grain  now  used  is  grown 
in  wonderfully  terraced  fields  on  the  mountain  sides,  where  water 
for  irrigating  is  brought  from  distant  streams  through  a  system  of 
flume  and  bamboo  tubes.  The  fact  that  only  the  mountain  rice  is  men- 
tioned in  the  tales  reflects  a  very  ancient  life  before  irrigated  fields 
were  known. 

2See  note  i,  p.  45. 

Cso] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

One  day  after  his  father  had  returned  home,  Kanag 
was  so  lonely  that  he  used  his  magical  power  and 
became  a  little  bird  and  flew  up  into  the  top  of  a  tree. 
The  next  day  when  Aponitolau  came  to  the  field  he 
looked  everywhere  for  his  son,  and  when  he  could  not 
find  him  he  called,  and  from  the  top  of  a  bamboo  tree 
a  little  bird  answered  him.  Realizing  what  had  hap- 
pened, the  father  was  very  sad  and  begged  his  son  to 
come  back  and  be  a  boy  again,  but  Kanag  only 
answered: 

"I  would  rather  be  a  bird1  and  carry  the  messages 
of  the  spirits  to  the  people." 

At  last  the  father  went  home  alone,  and  he  and  the 
boy's  mother  were  filled  with  grief  that  they  had  lost 
their  son. 

Some  time  after  this,  Aponitolau  prepared  to  go  out 
to  fight.  He  took  his  spear  and  shield  and  head-ax 
and  started  early  one  morning,  but  when  he  reached 
the  gate  of  the  town,  Kanag  flew  over  him,  giving  him 
a  bad  sign,  so  he  turned  back.  The  next  morning  he 
started  again,  and  this  time  the  little  bird  gave  him  a 
good  sign,  and  knowing  that  nothing  would  injure  him, 
he  went  on. 

After  a  long  journey  he  reached  a  hostile  town 
where  the  people  said  they  were  glad  to  see  him,  and 
added  that  because  he  was  the  first  of  his  people  who 
had  dared  to  enter  their  town  they  intended  to  keep 
him  there. 


'The  labeug  is  the  omen  bird  and  is  believed  to  be  the  direct  mes- 
senger of  Kadaklan,  the  great  spirit,  to  the  people. 

[51] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"Oh,"  said  Aponitolau,  "if  you  say  that  I  cannot 
return  home,  call  all  your  people  together  and  we  will 
fight." 

"You  are  very  brave,"  answered  his  enemies,  "if 
you  wish  to  fight  us  all." 

And  when  the  people  had  gathered  together  they 
laughed  at  him  and  said,  "Why,  one  of  our  fingers 
would  fight  you." 

Nevertheless,  Aponitolau  prepared  to  fight,  and 
when  the  bravest  of  the  enemy  threw  his  spear  and 
head-ax  at  him  he  jumped  and  escaped.  They  noticed 
that  he  jumped  very  high,  so  they  all  ran  at  him, 
throwing  their  spears  and  trying  to  kill  him. 

But  Aponitolau  caught  all  their  weapons,  and  then 
while  they  were  unarmed  he  threw  his  own  spear,  and 
it  flew  about  among  them  until  it  had  killed  them  all. 
Then  he  sent  his  head-ax,  and  it  cut  off  all  the  heads 
of  the  enemy;  and  he  used  magical  power  so  that  these 
heads  went  to  his  home  in  Kadalayapan. 

After  that  Aponitolau  sat  down  by  the  gate  of  the 
town  to  rest,  and  the  little  bird,  flying  over  his  head, 
called  down: 

"The  sign  that  I  gave  you  was  good,  Father,  and 
you  have  killed  all  your  enemies." 

"Yes,"  said  the  man,  and  as  he  started  on  the  home- 
ward journey  the  little  bird  always  flew  near  him. 
When  he  reached  home,  he  stuck  the  heads  around 
the  town,1  and  commanded  the  people  to  go  out  all 
over  the  world  and  invite  everyone  and  especially  the 


*See  note  i,  p.  34. 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

pretty  girls  to  come  to  a  party  in  celebration  of  his 
victory. 

The  people  came  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and 
while  they  played  on  the  gongs  and  danced,  Aponitolau 
called  to  Kanag  and  said: 

"Come  down,  my  son ;  do  not  stay  always  in  the  tops 
of  the  trees.  Come  and  see  the  pretty  girls  and  see 
which  one  you  want  to  marry.  Get  the  golden  cup  and 
give  them  basi  to  drink." 

But  Kanag  answered,  "I  would  rather  stay  in  the 
tops  of  the  trees  and  give  the  signs  when  anyone  goes 
to  fight." 

Then  the  father  and  mother  pleaded  with  him  to 
become  a  boy  once  more,  begging  his  forgiveness  and 
promising  never  again  to  send  him  to  guard  the  rice. 
But  he  would  not  listen  to  them,  and  only  flew  away. 

Finding  that  they  could  not  win  him  that  way,  Aponi- 
tolau and  Aponibolinayen  called  the  spirit  servants,  and 
commanded  them  to  follow  Kanag  wherever  he  went, 
and  to  find  a  girl  whom  he  would  want  to  marry.  So 
the  spirit  servants  went  after  him,  and  wherever  he 
went  they  followed. 

By  and  by  they  stopped  near  a  well,  and  there  the 
spirit  servants  used  magic  so  that  all  the  pretty  girls 
nearby  felt  very  hot;  and  in  the  early  morning,  they 
came  to  the  well  to  bathe.  One  among  them  was  so 
beautiful  that  she  looked  like  a  flame  of  fire1  among 
the  betel-nut  blossoms,  and  when  the  servants  saw  her 
washing  her  hair  they  ran  to  Kanag  and  begged  him 


'See  note  i,  p.  8. 

[53] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

to  come  and  see  her.  At  first  he  would  not  listen  to 
them,  but  after  a  while  he  flew  into  the  top  of  a  betel- 
nut  tree  near  by,  and  when  he  caught  sight  of  her,  he 
flew  into  the  tree  above  her  head. 

"But,"  said  he  to  the  servants,  "what  can  I  do  if  I 
become  a  man  now,  for  I  have  no  clothes  and  no 
head-band?" 

"Do  not  worry  about  that,"  said  the  spirit  servants, 
"for  we  have  everything  here  for  you." 

So  Kanag  became  a  man  and  put  on  the  clothes  and 
head-band,  and  he  went  to  speak  to  the  girl.  He  gave 
her  betel-nut,  and  they  chewed  together,  and  he  said: 

"My  name  is  Kanag  and  I  am  the  son  of  Aponitolau 
and  Aponibolinayen." 

Then  the  girl  said:  "My  name  is  Dapilisan  and 
I  am  the  daughter  of  Bangan  and  Dalonagan." 

When  Dapilisan  went  home  Kanag  followed  her, 
and  he  told  her  parents  his  name  and  how  he  had 
changed  into  a  little  bird.  And  when  he  had  finished 
he  asked  if  he  might  marry  their  daughter.  Bangan 
and  his  wife  were  greatly  pleased  that  Kanag  wanted 
Dapilisan  for  his  wife,  but  they  were  afraid  that  his 
parents  might  object,  so  they  sent  a  messenger  to 
invite  Aponitolau  and  Aponibolinayen  to  come  to  visit 
them. 

As  soon  as  Kanag' s  parents  heard  that  their  son  had 
become  a  man  they  were  very  happy  and  started  at 
once  to  go  to  him,  carrying  many  fine  presents.  Before 
arrangements  for  the  wedding  could  be  made,  it  was 
necessary  to  decide  on  the  price  to  be  paid  for  the  girl. 
A  long  discussion  took  place.  Bangan  and  Dalonagan 

[54] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

finally  said  that  the  spirit  house  must  be  filled  nine 
times  with  different  kinds  of  jars. 

When  this  was  done  Dalonagan  raised  her  eyebrows, 
and  half  of  the  jars  disappeared.  Aponibolinayen 
used  her  magical  power  and  the  spirit  house  was  filled 
again,  and  then  Dalonagan  said  to  her: 

"Now  the  web  of  the  spider  shall  be  put  around  the 
town  and  you  must  put  gold  beads  on  it.  If  it  does 
not  break,  Kanag  may  marry  Dapilisan." 

When  Aponibolinayen  had  put  the  gold  beads  on 
the  thread,  Dalonagan  hung  on  it  to  see  if  it  would 
hold.  As  it  did  not  break,  she  declared  that  the  sign 
was  good;  and  Kanag  and  Dapilisan  were  married. 

Then  the  people  played  on  the  copper  gongs,  danced, 
and  made  merry  for  a  long  time,  and  when  they 
returned  to  their  homes  Kanag  and  his  bride  went  with 
Aponitolau  and  Aponibolinayen. 


[55] 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  TIKGI 

Tingui&n 

,  tikgi,  tikgi,  we  will  come  to  work  for  you. 
Let  us  cut  your  rice." 

Ligi 1  had  gone  to  the  field  to  look  at  his  growing 
rice,  but  when  he  heard  this  sound  he  looked  up  and 
was  surprised  to  see  some  birds  circling  above  and 
calling  to  him. 

"Why,  you  cannot  cut  rice,"  said  Ligi.  "You  are 
birds  and  know  only  how  to  fly." 

But  the  birds  insisted  that  they  knew  how  to  cut  rice ; 
so  finally  he  told  them  to  come  again  when  the  grain 
was  ripe,  and  they  flew  away. 

No  sooner  had  the  birds  gone  than  Ligi  was  filled 
with  a  great  desire  to  see  them  again.  As  he  went 
home  he  wished  over  and  over  that  his  rice  were  ready 
to  cut.  As  soon  as  Ligi  left  the  field  the  tikgi  birds 
began  using  magic  so  that  the  rice  grew  rapidly, 
and  five  days  later  when  he  returned  he  found  the 
birds  there  ready  to  cut  the  ripened  grain.  Ligi 
showed  them  where  to  begin  cutting,  and  then  he  left 
them. 

When  he  was  out  of  sight,  the  tikgi  said  to  the  rice 
cutters : 

"Rice  cutters,  you  cut  the  rice  alone."    And  to  the 


'See  Preface,  p.  vii. 

[56] 


ELEVATED  LIVIXG  ROOMS  REACHED  BY  LADDERS 


COCOA-NUT  TREES  TOWER  ABOVE  THE  HOMES 


SECTION  OF  A  TINGUIAN  VILLAGE 


A  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

bands  which  were  lying  nearby  they  said:     "Bands, 
you    tie    into    bundles    the    rice    which    the    cutters 


cut11 


And  the  rice  cutters  and  the  bands  worked  alone, 
doing  as  they  were  told. 

When  Ligi  went  again  to  the  field  in  the  afternoon, 
the  tikgi  said: 

"Come,  Ligi,  and  see  what  we  have  done,  for  we 
want  to  go  home  now." 

Ligi  was  amazed,  for  he  saw  five  hundred  bundles 
of  rice  cut.  And  he  said: 

"Oh,  Tikgi,  take  all  the  rice  you  wish  in  payment, 
for  I  am  very  grateful  to  you." 

Then  the  tikgi  each  took  one  head  of  rice,  saying  it 
was  all  they  could  carry,  and  they  flew  away. 

The  next  morning  when  Ligi  reached  the  field,  he 
found  the  birds  already  there  and  he  said: 

"Now,  Tikgi,  cut  the  rice  as  fast  as  you  can,  for 
when  it  is  finished  I  will  make  a  ceremony  for  the 
spirits,  and  you  must  come." 

"Yes,"  replied  the  tikgi,  "and  now  we  shall  begin 
the  work,  but  you  do  not  need  to  stay  here." 

So  Ligi  went  home  and  built  a  rice  granary  to  hold 
his  grain,  and  when  he  returned  to  the  field  the  rice 
was  all  cut.  Then  the  tikgi  said:  "We  have  cut  all 
your  rice,  Ligi,  so  give  us  our  pay,  and  when  you  go 
home  the  rice  will  all  be  in  your  granary." 

Ligi  wondered  at  this,  and  when  he  reached  home 
and  saw  that  his  granary  was  full  of  rice,  he  doubted 
if  the  tikgi  could  be  real  birds. 

Not  long  after  this  Ligi  invited  all  his  relatives  from 

[57] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

the  different  towns  to  help  him  make  the  ceremony  for 
the  spirits.1  As  soon  as  the  people  arrived,  the  tikgi 
came  also;  and  they  flew  over  the  people's  heads  and 
made  them  drink  basi  until  they  were  drunk.  Then 
they  said  to  Ligi: 

"We  are  going  home  now;  it  is  not  good  for  us  to 
stay  here,  for  we  cannot  sit  among  the  people." 

When  they  started  home  Ligi  followed  them  until 
they  came  to  the  bana-asi  tree,  and  here  he  saw  them 
take  off  their  feathers  and  put  them  in  the  rice  gran- 
ary. Then  suddenly  they  became  one  beautiful 
maiden. 

"Are  you  not  the  tikgi  who  came  to  cut  my  rice?" 
asked  Ligi.  "You  look  to  me  like  a  beautiful 
maiden." 

"Yes,"  she  replied;  "I  became  tikgi  and  cut  rice  for 
you,  for  otherwise  you  would  not  have  found  me." 
Ligi  took  her  back  to  his  house  where  the  people  were 
making  the  ceremony,  and  as  soon  as  they  saw  her  they 
began  chewing  the  magic  betel-nuts  to  find  who  she 
might  be. 

The  quid2  of  Ebang  and  her  husband  and  that  of 
the  tikgi  went  together,  so  they  knew  that  she  was  their 
daughter  who  had  disappeared  from  their  house  one 
day  long  ago  while  they  were  in  the  fields.  In  answer 
to  their  many  questions,  she  told  them  that  she  had 


Before  the  bundles  of  ripened  rice  can  be  put  into  the  granary  a  cere- 
mony is  made  for  the  spirits.  The  blood  of  a  pig  is  mixed  with  cooked 
rice  and  put  in  the  granary  as  an  offering  for  the  spirit  who  multiplies 
the  grain,  otherwise  the  crop  would  run  out  in  a  short  time. 

2See  note  i,  p.  9. 

[58] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

been  in  the  bana-asi  tree,  where  Kaboniyan1  had  car- 
ried her,  until  the  day  that  she  changed  herself  into 
the  tikgi  birds  and  went  to  the  field  of  Ligi. 

Ligi  was  very  fond  of  the  beautiful  girl  and  he 
asked  her  parents  if  he  might  marry  her.  They  were 
very  willing  and  decided  on  a  price  he  should  pay. 
After  the  wedding  all  the  people  remained  at  his 
house,  feasting  and  dancing  for  three  months. 


JThe  spirit  who  stands  next  in  importance  to  Kadaklan,  the  great 
spirit.  It  was  he  who  taught  the  people  all  good  things,  and  finally 
he  married  a  woman  from  Manabo  in  order  to  bind  himself  more 
closely  to  them.  See  "How  the  Tinguian  Learned  to  Plant." 


[59] 


THE  STORY  OF  SAYEN1 

Tingui&n 

T  N  the  depths  of  a  dark  forest  where  people  seldom 
•*•  went,  lived  a  wizened  old  Alan.2  The  skin  on  her 
wrinkled  face  was  as  tough  as  a  carabao  hide,  and  her 
long  arms  with  fingers  pointing  back  from  the  wrist 
were  horrible  to  look  at.  Now  this  frightful  creature 
had  a  son  whose  name  was  Sayen,  and  he  was  as  hand- 
some as  his  mother  was  ugly.  He  was  a  brave  man, 
also,  and  often  went  far  away  alone  to  fight. 

On  these  journeys  Sayen  sometimes  met  beautiful 
girls,  and  though  he  wanted  to  marry,  he  could  not 
decide  upon  one.  Hearing  that  one  Danepan  was  more 
beautiful  than  any  other,  he  determined  to  go  and  ask 
her  to  be  his  wife. 

Now  Danepan  was  very  shy,  and  when  she  heard 
that  Sayen  was  coming  to  her  house  she  hid  behind  the 
door  and  sent  her  servant,  Laey,  out  to  meet  him. 
And  so  it  happened  that  Sayen,  not  seeing  Danepan, 
married  Laey,  thinking  that  she  was  her  beautiful  mis- 
tress. He  took  her  away  to  a  house  he  had  built  at 
the  edge  of  the  forest,  for  though  he  wished  to  be  near 


JThis  story  is  considered  by  the  Tinguian  to  be  of  rather  recent 
origin.  They  believe  that  Sayen  lived  not  so  very  long  ago,  yet  the 
stories  woven  around  him  are  very  similar  to  the  ancient  ones. 

2See  "The  Alan  and  the  Hunters." 

[60] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

his  old  home,  he  dared  not  allow  his  bride  to  set  eyes 
on  his  ugly  mother. 

For  some  time  they  lived  happily  together  here,  and 
then  one  day  when  Sayen  was  making  a  plow  under 
his  house,  he  heard  Laey  singing  softly  to  their  baby 
in  the  room  above,  and  this  is  what  she  sang: 

"Sayen  thinks  I  am  Danepan,  but  Laey  I  am.  Sayen 
thinks  I  am  Danepan,  but  Laey  I  am." 

When  Sayen  heard  this  he  knew  that  he  had  been 
deceived,  and  he  pondered  long  what  he  should  do. 

The  next  morning  he  went  to  the  field  to  plow,  for 
it  was  near  the  rice-planting  time.  Before  he  left  the 
house  he  called  to  his  wife: 

"When  the  sun  is  straight  above,  you  and  the  baby 
bring  food  to  me,  for  I  shall  be  busy  in  the  field." 

Before  he  began  to  plow,  however,  he  cut  the  bam- 
boo supports  of  the  bridge  which  led  to  the  field,  so 
that  when  Laey  and  the  baby  came  with  his  food,  they 
had  no  sooner  stepped  on  the  bridge  than  it  went  down 
with  them  and  they  were  drowned.  Sayen  was  again 
free.  He  took  his  spear  and  his  shield  and  head-ax 
and  went  at  once  to  the  town  of  Danepan,  and  there 
he  began  killing  the  people  on  all  sides. 

Terror  spread  through  the  town.  No  one  could 
stop  his  terrible  work  of  destruction  until  Danepan 
came  down  out  of  her  house,  and  begged  him  to  spare 
part  of  the  people  that  she  might  have  some  from  whom 
to  borrow  fire.1  Her  great  beauty  amazed  him  and 

*The  Tinguian  now  use  flint  and  steel  for  making  a  flame,  but  it 
is  not  at  all  uncommon  for  them  to  go  to  a  neighbor's  house  to  borrow 
a  burning  ember  to  start  their  own  fire. 

[61] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

he  ceased  killing,  and  asked  her  to  prepare  some  betel- 
nut  for  him  to  chew,  as  he  was  very  tired.  She  did  so, 
and  when  he  had  chewed  the  nut  he  spat  on  the  people 
he  had  killed  and  they  came  to  life  again.  Then  he 
married  Danepan  and  took  her  to  his  home. 

Now  it  happened  about  this  time  that  the  people  of 
Magosang  were  in  great  trouble.  At  the  end  of  a  suc- 
cessful hunt,  while  they  were  dividing  the  meat  among 
themselves,  the  Komow,1  a  murderous  spirit  that  looks 
like  a  man,  would  come  to  them  and  ask  how  many  they 
had  caught.  If  they  answered,  "Two,"  then  he  would 
say  that  he  had  caught  two  also ;  and  when  they  went 
home,  they  would  find  two  people  in  the  town  dead. 
As  often  as  they  went  to  hunt  the  Komow  did  this,  and 
many  of  the  people  of  Magosang  were  dead  and  those 
living  were  in  great  fear.  Finally  they  heard  of  the 
brave  man,  Sayen,  and  they  begged  him  to  help  them. 
Sayen  listened  to  all  they  told,  and  then  said: 

"I  will  go  with  you  to  hunt,  and  while  you  are  divid- 
ing the  meat,  I  will  hide  behind  the  trees.  When  the 
Komow  comes  to  ask  how  many  deer  you  have,  he 
will  smell  me,  but  you  must  say  that  you  do  not  know 
where  I  am." 

So  the  people  went  to  hunt,  and  when  they  had 
killed  two  deer,  they  singed  them  over  a  fire  and  began 
to  divide  them.  Just  then  the  Komow  arrived  and 
said: 

"How  many  have  you?" 

*The  neighboring  Ilocano,  a  Christianized  tribe,  know  the  Komow 
as  a  fabulous  bird  which  is  invisible,  yet  steals  people  and  their  pos- 
sessions. 

[62] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"We  have  two,"  replied  the  people. 

"I  have  two  also,"  said  the  Komow,  "but  I  smell 
Sayen." 

"We  do  not  know  where  Sayen  is,"  answered  the 
people;  and  just  then  he  sprang  out  and  killed  the 
Komow,  and  the  people  were  greatly  relieved. 

Now  when  Kaboniyan,1  a  great  spirit,  heard  what 
Sayen  had  done,  he  went  to  him  and  said: 

"Sayen  you  are  a  brave  man  because  you  have  killed 
the  Komow.  Tomorrow  I  will  fight  with  you.  You 
must  remain  on  the  low  ground  by  the  river,  and  I  will 
go  to  the  hill  above." 

So  the  following  day  Sayen  went  to  the  low  ground 
by  the  river.  He  had  not  waited  long  before  he  heard 
a  great  sound  like  a  storm,  and  he  knew  that  Kaboniyan 
was  coming.  He  looked  up,  and  there  stood  the  great 
warrior,  poising  his  spear  which  was  as  large  as  a  big 
tree. 

"Are  you  brave,  Sayen?"  called  he  in  a  voice  like 
thunder  as  he  threw  the  weapon. 

"Yes,"  answered  Sayen,  and  he  caught  the  spear. 

This  surprised  Kaboniyan,  and  he  threw  his  head-ax 
which  was  as  large  as  the  roof  of  a  house,  and  Sayen 
caught  that  also.  Then  Kaboniyan  saw  that  this  was 
indeed  a  brave  man,  and  he  went  down  to  Sayen  and 
they  fought  face  to  face  until  both  were  tired,  but 
neither  could  overcome  the  other. 

When  Kaboniyan  saw  that  in  Sayen  he  had  found  one 
as  strong  and  brave  even  as  himself,  he  proposed  that 


'See  note  i,  p.  59. 

[63] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

they  go  together  to  fight  the  people  of  different  towns. 
And  they  started  out  at  once.  Many  people  were  killed 
by  this  strong  pair,  and  why  they  themselves  could 
never  be  captured  was  a  great  mystery.  For  it  was 
not  known  that  one  was  the  spirit  Kaboniyan,  and  the 
other  the  son  of  an  Alan. 

If  he  was  surrounded  in  a  river,  Sayen  would  become 
a  fish1  and  hide  so  that  people  could  not  find  him.  And 
if  he  was  entrapped  in  a  town,  he  would  become  a 
chicken  and  go  under  the  house  in  a  chicken-coop.  In 
this  way  he  escaped  many  times. 

Finally  one  night  after  he  had  killed  many  in  one 
town,  the  people  decided  to  watch  him,  and  they  saw 
him  go  to  roost  with  the  chickens.  The  next  day  they 
placed  a  fish  trap  under  the  house  near  the  chicken- 
coop,  and  that  night  when  Sayen  went  under  the  house 
he  was  caught  in  the  trap  and  killed. 


1See  note  2,  p.  20. 


THE  SUN  AND  THE  MOON 

Tingui&n 

the  Sun  and  the  Moon  quarreled  with  each 
other,  and  the  Sun  said: 

"You  are  only  the  Moon  and  are  not  much  good. 
If  I  did  not  give  you  light,  you  would  be  no  good  at 
all." 

But  the  Moon  answered: 

"You  are  only  the  Sun,  and  you  are  very  hot.  The 
women  like  me  better,  for  when  I  shine  at  night,  they 
go  out  doors  and  spin." 

These  words  of  the  Moon  made  the  Sun  so  angry 
that  he  threw  sand  in  her  face,  and  you  can  still  see 
the  dark  spots  on  the  face  of  the  Moon. 


[65] 


HOW  THE  TINGUIAN  LEARNED  TO  PLANT 

Tinguian 
N  the  very  old  times  the  Tinguian  did  not  know  how 


i 


to  plant  and  harvest  as  they  now  do.  For  food  they 
had  only  the  things  that  grew  in  the  forests  and  fish 
from  the  streams.  Neither  did  they  know  how  to  cure 
people  who  became  ill  or  were  injured  by  evil  spirits, 
and  many  died  who  might  otherwise  have  lived.1 

Then  Kadaklan,  the  Great  Spirit  who  lives  in  the 
sky,  saw  that  the  people  often  were  hungry  and  sick, 
and  he  sent  one  of  his  servants,  Kaboniyan,  to  the  earth 
to  teach  them  many  things.  And  it  happened  this  way: 

Dayapan,  a  woman  who  lived  in  Caalang,  had  been 
sick  for  seven  years.  One  day  when  she  went  to  the 
spring  to  bathe,  there  entered  her  body  a  spirit  who  had 
rice  and  sugar-cane  with  him,  and  he  said  to  her: 

"Dayapan,  take  these  to  your  home  and  plant  them 
in  the  ground,  and  after  a  while  they  will  grow  large 
enough  to  reap.  Then  when  they  are  ripe,  build  a 
granary  to  put  the  rice  in  until  you  shall  need  it,  and 
a  sugar-press  to  crush  the  cane.  And  when  these  are 
finished,  make  the  ceremony  Sayung,  and  you  will  be 
well." 


1This  tale  is  of  special  importance  to  the  Tinguian  since  it  explains 
how  they  learned  two  of  the  most  important  things  of  their  present 
life — to  plant  and  to  cure  the  sick.  It  also  shows  how  death  came  into 
the  world. 

[66] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Dayapan  was  filled  with  wonder  at  these  strange 
things,  but  she  took  the  rice  and  the  sugar-cane  and 
went  home  as  she  was  commanded.  While  she  was 
trying  to  plant  them  in  the  ground  the  Spirit  again 
entered  her  body  and  showed  her  just  what  to  do. 
Since  then  the  Tinguian  have  planted  crops  every  year, 
and  because  they  do  as  Kaboniyan1  taught  the  woman 
they  have  plenty  to  eat. 

When  Dayapan  had  reaped  the  first  rice  and  cane, 
she  began  to  make  the  ceremony  Sayung,  and  the 
Spirit  came  again  and  directed  her.  And  when  it  was 
finished  and  she  was  cured,  he  told  her  to  take  a  dog 
and  a  cock  and  go  to  bathe  in  the  river  as  a  sign  that 
the  ceremony  was  finished.  So  she  went  to  the  river 
and  tied  the  dog  and  the  cock  near  the  water,  but 
while  she  was  bathing  the  dog  ate  the  cock. 

Dayapan  wept  bitterly  at  this  and  waited  a  long 
time  for  Kaboniyan,  and  when  at  last  he  came,  he  said: 

"If  the  dog  had  not  killed  the  cock,  no  person  would 
die  when  you  make  this  ceremony;  but  this  is  a  sign, 
and  now  some  will  die  and  some  will  get  well." 

Dayapan  called  all  the  people  together,  and  told 
them  the  things  that  the  spirit  had  taught  her;  and 
they  could  see  that  she  had  been  made  well.  After 
that,  when  people  became  ill  they  called  Dayapan  to 
treat  them.  And  it  was  as  the  Spirit  had  said;  some 
died  and  others  were  made  well. 


1Sec  note  i,  p.  59. 


[67] 


MAGSAWI 

Tinguian 

A  GREAT  many  years  ago  some  Tinguian  left  their 
-^  little  village  in  the  valley  early  one  morning  and 
made  their  way  toward  the  mountains.  They  were  off 
on  a  deer  hunt,1  and  each  carried  his  spear  and 
head-ax,  while  one  held  in  leash  a  string  of  lean  dogs 
eager  for  the  chase. 

Part  way  up  the  mountainside  the  dogs  were  freed, 
and  the  men  separated,  going  different  ways  in  search 
of  game.  But  ere  long  the  sharp  barking  of  a  dog 
called  all  in  his  direction,  for  they  believed  that  he 
had  a  deer  at  bay.  As  they  approached  the  spot,  how- 
ever, the  object  did  not  look  like  a  deer,  and  as  they 
drew  nearer  they  were  surprised  to  find  that  it  was  a 
large  jar.2 


*It  is  a  common  sight  in  a  Tinguian  village  early  in  the  morning 
during  the  dry  season  to  see  a  number  of  men  armed  with  spears  and 
head-axes  leaving  for  the  mountains.  They  usually  take  with  them, 
to  assist  in  the  chase,  a  string  of  half-starved  dogs.  Often  a  net  is 
stretched  across  the  runway  of  game,  and  then,  while  some  of  the 
hunters  conceal  themselves  near  by,  others  seek  to  drive  the  game 
into  the  net,  where  it  is  speared  to  death. 

2Ancient  Chinese  jars  are  found  throughout  the  interior  of  the 
Philippines  and  are  very  closely  associated  with  the  folk-lore  of  the 
Tinguian.  Some  of  the  jars  date  back  to  the  loth  century,  while  many 
are  from  the  i2th  and  i4th  centuries,  and  evidently  entered  the 
Islands  through  pre-Spanish  trade.  They  are  held  in  great  value  and 
are  generally  used  in  part  payment  for  a  bride  and  for  the  settlement 
of  feuds.  For  more  details  see  Cole,  Chinese  Pottery  in  the  Philip- 
pines, Pub.  Field  Museum  of  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  XII,  No.  i. 

[68] 


THE  TALKING  JARS 
(Magsawi  on  the  left) 


PLAYING  THE  NOSE  FLUTE 


TINGUIAN  POTTERS  AT  WORK 


SEEDING  AND  COMBING  THE  COTTON 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Filled  with  curiosity  they  pressed  on,  but  the  jar 
evaded  them.  Faster  and  faster  they  ran,  but  the 
object,  disappearing  at  times  and  then  coming  into 
view  again,  always  escaped  them.  On  and  on  they 
went  until  at  last,  tired  out,  they  sat  down  on  a  wooded 
hill  to  rest  and  to  refresh  themselves  with  betel-nut 
which  they  took  from  brass  boxes  attached  to  their 
belts. 

As  they  slowly  cut  the  nuts  and  wrapped  them  in  the 
lime  and  leaf  ready  for  chewing,  they  talked  of  nothing 
but  the  wonderful  jar  and  the  mysterious  power  it 
possessed.  Then  just  as  they  were  about  to  put  the 
tempting  morsels  into  their  mouths  they  stopped,  star- 
tled by  a  strange  soft  voice  which  seemed  to  be  near 
them.  They  turned  and  listened,  but  could  see  no 
person. 

"Find  a  pig  which  has  no  young,"  said  the  voice, 
"and  take  its  blood,  for  then  you  will  be  able  to  catch 
the  jar  which  your  dog  pursued." 

The  men  knew  then  that  the  mysterious  jar  belonged 
to  a  spirit,  so  they  hastened  to  do  as  the  voice  com- 
manded, and  when  they  had  secured  the  blood  the 
dog  again  brought  the  jar  to  bay.  The  hunters  tried 
to  seize  it,  but  it  entered  a  hole  in  the  ground  and 
disappeared.  They  followed,  and  found  themselves  in 
a  dark  cave1  where  it  was  easy  to  catch  the  jar,  for 
there  was  no  outlet  save  by  the  hole  through  which 
they  had  entered. 


JThis  cave  is  situated  in  the  mountains  midway  between  Patok  and 
Santa  Rosa.  In  this  vicinity  are  numerous  limestone  caves,  each  of 
which  has  its  traditions. 

[69] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Though  that  was  many  years  ago,  the  jar  still  lives, 
and  its  name  is  Magsawi.  Even  now  it  talks;  but 
some  years  ago  a  crack  appeared  in  its  side,  and  since 
then  its  language  has  not  been  understood  by  the 
Tinguian.1 

Sometimes  Magsawi  goes  on  long  journeys  alone 
when  he  visits  his  wife,  a  jar  in  Ilocos  Norte,  or  his 
child,  a  small  jar  in  San  Quintin;  but  he  always  returns 
to  Domayco  on  the  hillside  near  the  cave. 


aCabildo  of  Domayco,  the  envied  owner  of  this  jar,  has  refused 
great  sums  offered  for  its  purchase,  and  though  men  from  other  tribes 
come  bringing  ten  carabao  at  one  time,  they  cannot  tempt  him  to  sell. 


[70] 


M 


THE  TREE  WITH  THE  AGATE  BEADS 

Tinguian 
ORE  than  a  hundred  seasons  ago,   a  Tinguian 


went  one  day  to  the  mountains  to  hunt.  Accom- 
panied by  his  faithful  dog,  he  made  his  way  steadily 
up  the  mountain  side,  only  halting  where  it  was  neces- 
sary to  cut  a  path  through  the  jungle.  And  the  dog 
ran  here  and  there  searching  in  the  thick  underbrush. 

On  and  on  he  went  without  seeing  any  game,  and 
then,  when  he  was  almost  at  the  top  of  the  highest 
peak,  the  dog  gave  a  sharp  yelp,  and  out  of  the  brush 
leaped  a  fine  deer.  Zip !  went  the  man's  spear,  and  it 
pierced  the  animal's  side.  For  an  instant  he  waited, 
but  the  deer  did  not  fall.  On  it  ran  with  unslackened 
speed,  and  a  moment  later  it  plunged  into  a  hole  in 
the  ground  with  the  man  and  dog  in  close  pursuit. 

A  short  distance  from  the  entrance  the  cave  opened 
out  into  large,  spacious  rooms,  and  before  he  realized 
it  the  man  was  hopelessly  lost.  In  the  distance  he 
could  hear  the  baying  of  the  dog,  and  with  no  other 
guide  he  hurried  on  through  the  darkness. 

Following  the  sound,  he  went  for  a  long  time  from 
one  unfamiliar  room  to  another,  stumbling  in  the 
darkness  and  striking  against  the  stone  walls,  and  then 
suddenly  his  outstretched  hands  grasped  a  small  tree 
on  which  berries  grew. 

Astonished  at  finding  anything  growing  in  this  dark 

[71] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

place,  he  broke  off  a  branch,  and  as  he  did  so  the 
shrub  began  to  talk  in  a  strange  language.  Terrified, 
the  man  ran  in  the  direction  he  had  last  heard  the 
dog,  and  a  moment  later  he  found  himself  in  the  open 
air  on  the  banks  of  the  Abra  River,  with  the  dead  deer 
at  his  feet. 

When  he  examined  the  twig  which  he  still  held  in 
his  hand,  he  saw  to  his  great  surprise  that  the  berries 
were  agate  beads  of  great  value.1  And  packing  the 
deer  on  his  back,  he  hastened  home  where  he  told  his 
wonderful  story. 

The  sight  of  the  beautiful  beads  convinced  the  peo- 
ple that  he  told  the  truth,  and  a  number  of  men  at  once 
returned  with  him  to  secure  the  tree. 

Their  quest,  however,  was  unsuccessful,  for  ere  they 
reached  the  spot  the  evil  spirit  had  taken  the  tree 
away  and  on  the  walls  of  the  cave  it  had  made  strange 
carvings  which  even  to  this  day  can  be  seen. 


iThese  beautiful  agate  beads  are  still  worn  by  the  Tinguian  women, 
who  prize  them  very  highly.  They  are  rarely  sold  and  each  is  worth 
more  than  a  carabao. 


[72] 


THE  STRIPED  BLANKET 


'TpHREE  Tinguian  once  went  to  the  mountains  to 
-*-  hunt  deer.  They  took  their  blankets  with  them, 
for  they  expected  to  be  gone  several  days,  and  the 
nights  in  the  mountains  are  cold. 

The  blankets  of  two  of  the  men  were  of  the  blue- 
and-white  designs  such  as  are  commonly  worn  by  the 
Tinguian,  but  that  of  the  third  was  covered  with  red 
and  yellow  stripes  like  the  back  of  a  little  wild  pig. 

At  night  the  men  rolled  up  in  their  blankets  and 
lay  down  under  a  tree  to  sleep;  but  while  the  one  in 
the  striped  blanket  was  still  awake  two  spirits  came 
near  and  saw  him. 

"Oh,"  he  heard  one  spirit  say  to  the  other,  "here 
we  have  something  to  eat,  for  here  is  a  little  wild  pig." 

Then  the  man  quickly  took  the  blanket  off  one  of 
his  sleeping  companions  and  put  his  own  in  its  place. 
Very  soon  the  spirits  came  and  ate  the  man  under  the 
striped  blanket. 

Since  that  time  the  Tinguian  never  sleep  under  that 
kind  of  a  blanket  if  they  are  where  the  spirits  can  get 
them. 


[73] 


THE  ALAN  AND  THE  HUNTERS 

Tinguian 

TWO  men  once  went  to  hunt  wild  pig  in  the  moun- 
tains, and  after  some  time  they  speared  and  killed 
one,  but  they  had  no  fire  over  which  to  singe  it. 

One  man  climbed  a  tree  to  see  if  there  was  a  fire 
near  by,  and  discovering  smoke  at  some  distance,  he 
started  toward  it.  When  he  reached  the  place,  he 
found  that  the  fire  was  in  the  house  of  an  Alan,1  and 
he  was  very  much  afraid;  but  creeping  up  into  the 
house,  he  found  that  the  Alan  and  her  baby  were  fast 
asleep. 

He  stepped  on  tip-toe,  but  nevertheless  the  Alan 
was  awakened  and  called  out: 

"Epogow,2  what  do  you  want?" 

"I  should  like  to  get  some  fire,"  said  the  man,  "for 
we  have  killed  a  wild  pig." 

The  Alan  gave  him  the  fire,  and  then  taking  her 
basket  she  went  with  him  to  the  place  where  the  pig 
was. 

After  they  had  singed  the  animal,  the  Alan  cut  it 
up  with  her  long  nails  and  handed  the  liver  to  the 


1The  Alan  are  supposed  to  be  deformed  spirits  who  live  in  the 
forests.  They  are  as  large  as  people,  but  have  wings  and  can  fly. 
Their  toes  are  at  the  back  of  their  feet,  and  their  fingers  point  back- 
ward from  their  wrists. 

2The  name  by  which  spirits  call  human  beings. 

[74] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

man,  telling  him  to  take  it  to  her  house  to  feed  the 
baby. 

The  man  started,  and  on  the  way  he  ate  the  liver. 
When  he  reached  the  Alan's  house  he  did  not  know 
what  to  do.  For  some  time  he  looked  around,  and 
then  seeing  a  large  caldron  of  hot  water  on  the  fire, 
he  threw  the  baby  into  it  and  went  back. 

"Did  the  baby  eat  well?"  asked  the  Alan. 

"Very  well,"  said  the  man. 

Then  she  put  most  of  the  meat  into  her  basket  and 
started  home.  As  soon  as  she  had  gone,  the  man  told 
his  companion  what  he  had  done,  and  they  were  so 
frightened  that  they  ran  to  hide. 

When  the  Alan  reached  home  and  found  the  baby 
dead  in  the  hot  water,  she  was  very  angry  and  started 
back  immediately  to  find  the  men,  who,  in  the  mean- 
time, had  climbed  a  high  tree  that  stood  near  the  water. 

The  Alan  looked  down  into  the  water,  and  seeing 
the  reflection  of  the  men,  she  reached  in  her  long  hand 
with  the  fingers  that  pointed  backward,  but  when  she 
could  not  touch  them,  she  looked  up  and  saw  them  in 
the  tall  tree. 

"How  did  you  get  up  there?"  she  cried  angrily. 

"We  climbed  up  feet  first,"  called  down  the  men. 

The  Alan,  determined  to  get  them,  caught  hold  of 
a  vine  and  started  up  the  tree  feet  first,  but  before  she 
quite  reached  them,  they  cut  the  vine  and  she  fell  to 
the  ground  and  was  killed.1 


''This  treatment  of  the  Alan  is  typical  of  that  accorded  to  the  less 
powerful  of  the  spirits  by  the  Tinguian  today.  At  the  ceremonies 
they  often  make  fun  of  them  and  cheat  them  in  the  sacrifices. 

[75] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Then  the  men  came  down  and  went  to  the  Alan's 
house,  where  they  found  a  jar  full  of  beads  and  an- 
other of  gold,  and  these  they  brought  with  them  when 
they  returned  home. 


[76] 


A 


THE  MAN  AND  THE  ALAN 

Tingman 

TINGUIAN  was  once  walking  along  a  trail  in 
the  wood  when  he  heard  a  strange  sound  in  a 
large  tree  near  him,  and  looking  up  he  was  startled  to 
see  that  it  was  the  home  of  the  Alan  —  spirits  who  live 
in  the  wood. 

He  stopped  and  gazed  for  a  moment  at  the  horrible 
creatures,  large  as  people,  hanging  from  the  limbs  of 
the  tree  with  their  heads  down  like  bats.  They  had 
wings  to  fly,  and  their  toes  were  at  the  back  of  their 
feet,  while  their  long  fingers,  which  pointed  backward, 
were  fastened  at  the  wrist. 

"Surely,"  thought  the  man,  "these  terrible  beings 
will  eat  me  if  they  can  catch  me.  I  will  run  away  as 
fast  as  I  can  while  they  are  asleep."  He  tried  to  run 
but  he  was  too  frightened,  and  after  a  few  steps  he  fell 
face  down  on  the  ground. 

At  this  the  Alan  began  to  wail  loudly,  for  they  saw 
him  fall  and  believed  him  dead.  And  they  came  down 
out  of  the  tree  with  gold  and  beads  which  they  laid 
on  him. 

After  a  while  the  man  gathered  courage  and,  jump- 
ing up,  he  cried  as  loudly  as  he  could,  "Go  away!" 

The  Alan  did  not  move,  but  they  looked  at  him  and 
said:  "Give  us  the  one  bead  nagaba  [a  peculiar  bead 
of  double  effect],  and  you  may  have  the  rest."  When 

[77] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

the  man  refused  to  do  this,  they  were  angry  and  turned 
away,  crying,  "Then  we  are  going  to  burn  your  house, 
for  you  are  a  bad  man." 

Thereupon  the  man  went  home  as  fast  as  he  could 
go,  but  very  soon  after  that  his  house  burned,  for  the 
Alan  kept  their  word. 


SOGSOGOT 

Tinguian 

day,  a  long  time  ago,  some  men  went  to  the 
mountains  to  hunt  deer  and  wild  pig,  and  among 
them  was  one  named  Sogsogot. 

They  all  went  into  the  thick  forest  to  look  for 
game,  but  after  a  while  Sogsogot  called  his  dog  and 
withdrew  to  an  open  spot  near  by,  where  he  waited 
for  the  deer  to  come  out. 

While  he  stood  there  eagerly  watching,  a  big  bird1 
swooped  down,  caught  him  in  its  claws,  and  carried 
him  away.  Far  off  over  the  mountains  the  bird  soared, 
until  finally  it  came  to  a  big  tree  where  it  had  its  nest, 
and  here  it  left  the  man  and  flew  away. 

Sogsogot's  first  thought  was  to  make  his  escape,  but 
he  found  that  the  tree  was  so  tall  that  he  could  not 
get  down,  and  after  a  time  he  ceased  his  attempts  to 
get  away  and  began  to  look  over  his  companions  in 
the  nest — two  young  birds  and  three  little  pigs. 

By  and  by  he  became  hungry,  so  he  cut  up  the  three 
little  pigs,  and  after  he  had  eaten  all  he  wished  he  fed 
the  two  birds.  When  this  meat  was  gone  the  mother 
bird  brought  more  pigs  and  deer,  and  the  man  had  all 
he  could  eat.  Then  he  fed  the  little  birds,  which  grew 


1Known  to  the  Tinguian  as  Banog.  This  bird  occupies  much  the 
same  place  with  the  Tinguian  as  does  the  garuda  in  East  Indian  folk- 
lore. 

[79] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

very  fast  and  soon  were  able  to  fly.  One  day  when 
they  were  standing  on  the  edge  of  the  nest  Sogsogot 
caught  hold  of  the  birds'  legs,  and  they  fluttered  down 
and  carried  him  safely  to  the  ground. 

He  hastened  home  as  fast  as  he  could  go  and  told 
the  people  of  his  wonderful  trip.  They  made  a  cere- 
mony for  the  spirits,  and  all  the  people  rejoiced  that 
the  lost  man  had  returned. 

Some  time  after  this  Sogsogot  went  to  a  hostile 
town  to  fight,  and  while  he  was  gone  his  wife  died. 
On  the  way  back  to  his  town  he  met  the  spirit  of  his 
wife  driving  a  cow  and  two  pigs,  and  not  knowing  that 
she  was  a  spirit  he  asked  her  where  she  was  going. 

"I  am  not  a  person  any  more,"  she  answered  him; 
"I  am  dead."  And  when  he  wanted  to  touch  her 
hand,  she  gave  him  only  her  shortest  finger.  He  begged 
to  go  with  her  so  she  said,  uGo  first  to  our  home  and 
get  a  white  chicken;  then  follow  the  footmarks  of  the 
cow  and  pigs." 

He  did  as  she  commanded  him,  and  after  a  while 
he  came  to  a  place  where  she  was  bathing  in  the  river. 
She  said  to  him;: 

"Now  you  may  come  with  me  to  our  spirit  town.1  I 
shall  hide  you  in  the  rice-bin  and  shall  bring  food  to 
you  every  day.  But  at  night  the  people  in  the  town 
will  want  to  eat  you,  and  when  they  come  to  the  bin 
you  must  take  some  of  the  feathers  of  the  white  chicken 
and  throw  at  them." 


aThis  tale  gives  to  the  Tinguian  his  idea  of  the  future  world. 
Sogsogot  is  supposed  to  have  lived  only  a  short  time  ago,  and  his 
experiences  are  well  known  to  all  the  people. 

[80] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

The  man  went  with  her,  and  when  they  arrived  at 
the  spirit  town  she  hid  him  in  the  rice-bin.  At  night 
the  people  came  to  eat  him,  as  she  had  said  they  would; 
but  when  he  threw  the  chicken  feathers  at  them  they 
were  frightened  away. 

For  two  weeks  Sogsogot  lived  in  this  place,  but 
when  the  feathers  were  nearly  gone  he  was  afraid  to 
stay  any  longer,  for  every  night  the  spirits  came  to  eat 
him.  He  begged  his  wife  to  allow  him  to  go,  and 
finally  she  showed  him  the  way  home,  giving  him  rice 
to  eat  on  his  journey. 

As  soon  as  the  man  arrived  home  and  inquired  for 
his  wife,  the  people  told  him  that  she  had  died  and 
they  had  buried  her  under  the  house.  Then  he  knew 
that  it  was  her  spirit  that  had  taken  him  to  the  strange 
town. 


[81] 


w 


THE  MISTAKEN  GIFTS 

Tingman 

HEN  Siagon  was  about  eight  years  old  his 
parents  began  looking  for  a  girl  who  would 
make  a  suitable  wife.  At  last  when  they  had  decided 
on  a  beautiful  maiden,  who  lived  some  distance  from 
them,  they  sent  a  man  to  her  parents  to  ask  if  they 
would  like  Siagon  for  a  son-in-law. 

Now  when  the  man  arrived  at  the  girl's  house  the 
people  were  all  sitting  on  the  floor  eating  periwinkle, 
and  as  they  sucked  the  meat  out  of  the  shell,  they 
nodded  their  heads.  The  man,  looking  in  at  the  door, 
saw  them  nod,  and  he  thought  they  were  nodding  at 
him.  So  he  did  not  tell  them  his  errand,  but  returned 
quickly  to  the  boy's  parents  and  told  them  that  all 
the  people  at  the  girl's  house  were  favorable  to  the 
union. 

Siagon's  parents  were  very  much  pleased  that  their 
proposal  had  been  so  kindly  received,  and  immediately 
prepared  to  go  to  the  girl's  house  to  arrange  for  the" 
wedding. 

Finally  all  was  ready  and  they  started  for  her 
house,  carrying  with  them  as  presents  for  her  parents 
two  carabao,  two  horses,  two  cows,  four  iron  kettles, 
sixteen  jars  of  basi,  two  blankets,  and  two  little 
pigs. 

The  surprise  of  the  girl's  people  knew  no  bounds 

[82] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

when  they  saw  all  this  coming  to  their  house,  for  they 
had  not  even  thought  of  Siagon  marrying  their 
daughter.1 


'See  note  i,  p.  15.  Practically  this  same  tale  is  told  by  the  neigh- 
boring Ilocano,  from  whom  it  may  have  been  borrowed;  but  here  the 
Tinguian  custom  of  paying  a  marriage  price  is  introduced. 


[83] 


o 


THE  BOY  WHO  BECAME  A  STONE 

Tinguian 

NE  day  a  little  boy  named  Elonen  sat  out  in  the 
yard  making  a  bird  snare,  and  as  he  worked,  a 
little  bird  called  to  him:  "Tik-tik-lo-den"  (come  and 
catch  me). 

"I  am  making  a  snare  for  you,"  said  the  boy; 
but  the  bird  continued  to  call  until  the  snare  was 
finished. 

Then  Elonen  ran  and  threw  the  snare  over  the  bird 
and  caught  it,  and  he  put  it  in  a  jar  in  his  house  while 
he  went  with  the  other  boys  to  swim. 

While  he  was  away,  his  grandmother  grew  hungry, 
so  she  ate  the  bird,  and  when  Elonen  returned  and 
found  that  his  bird  was  gone,  he  was  so  sad  that  he 
wished  he  might  go  away  and  never  come  back.  He 
went  out  into  the  forest  and  walked  a  long  distance, 
until  finally  he  came  to  a  big  stone  and  said:  "Stone, 
open  your  mouth  and  eat  me."  And  the  stone  opened 
its  mouth  and  swallowed  the  boy. 

When  his  grandmother  missed  the  boy,  she  went  out 
and  looked  everywhere,  hoping  to  find  him.  Finally 
she  passed  near  the  stone  and  it  cried  out,  "Here  he  is." 
Then  the  old  woman  tried  to  open  the  stone  but  she 
could  not,  so  she  called  the  horses  to  come  and  help 
her.  They  came  and  kicked  it,  but  it  would  not  break. 
Then  she  called  the  carabao  and  they  hooked  it,  but 

[84] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

they  only  broke  their  horns.  She  called  the  chickens, 
which  pecked  it,  and  the  thunder,  which  shook  it,  but 
nothing  could  open  it,  and  she  had  to  go  home  without 
the  boy. 


[85] 


THE  TURTLE  AND  THE  LIZARD 

Tinguian 

A  TURTLE  and  a  big  lizard  once  went  to  the  field 
-^*-  of  Gotgotapa  to  steal  ginger.1  When  they  reached 
the  place  the  turtle  said  to  the  lizard: 

"We  must  be  very  still  or  the  man  will  hear  us  and 


come  out." 


But  as  soon  as  the  lizard  tasted  the  ginger  he  was 
so  pleased  that  he  said: 

"The  ginger  of  Gotgotapa  is  very  good." 

"Be  still,"  said  the  turtle;  but  the  lizard  paid  no 
attention  to  the  warning,  and  called  louder  than  ever: 

"The  ginger  of  Gotgotapa  is  very  good." 

Again  and  again  he  cried  out,  until  finally  the  man 
heard  him  and  came  out  of  the  house  to  catch  the 
robbers. 

The  turtle  could  not  run  fast,  so  he  lay  very  still, 
and  the  man  did  not  see  him.  But  the  lizard  ran  and 
the  man  chased  him.  When  they  were  out  of  sight, 
the  turtle  went  into  the  house  and  hid  under  a  cocoanut 
shell  upon  which  the  man  used  to  sit.2 

The  man  ran  after  the  lizard  for  a  long  distance, 


1This  type  of  story  is  also  found  farther  to  the  south,  where  the 
cleverness  of  the  small  animal  causes  him  to  triumph  over  the  strong. 

2The  Tinguian  house  contains  neither  tables  nor  chairs.  The  people 
usually  squat  on  the  floor,  sitting  on  their  heels;  if  anything  is  used  as 
a  seat  it  is  a  bit  of  cocoanut  shell  or  a  small  block  of  wood. 

[86] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

but  he  could  not  catch  him.  After  a  while  he  came  back 
to  the  house  and  sat  down  on  the  shell. 

By  and  by,  the  turtle  called,  "Kook."  The  man 
jumped  up  and  looked  all  around.  Unable  to  tell  where 
the  noise  came  from,  he  sat  down  again. 

A  second  tinte  the  turtle  called,  and  this  time  the 
man  looked  everywhere  in  the  house  except  under  the 
shell,  but  could  not  find  the  turtle.  Again  and  again 
the  turtle  called,  and  finally  the  man,  realizing  that  all 
his  attempts  were  unsuccessful,  grew  so  excited  that 
he  died. 

Then  the  turtle  ran  out  of  the  house,  and  he  had 
not  gone  far  before  he  met  the  lizard  again.  They 
walked  along  together  until  they  saw  some  honey  in  a 
tree,  and  the  turtle  said: 

"I  will  go  first  and  get  some  of  the  honey." 

The  lizard  would  not  wait,  but  ran  ahead,  and  when 
he  seized  the  honey,  the  bees  came  out  and  stung  him. 
So  he  ran  back  to  the  turtle  for  help. 

After  a  while  they  came  to  a  bird  snare,  and  the 
turtle  said: 

"That  is  the  silver  wire  that  my  grandfather  wore 
about  his  neck." 

Then  the  lizard  ran  fast  to  get  it  first,  but  he  was 
caught  in  the  snare  and  was  held  until  the  man  came 
and  killed  him.  Then  the  wise  turtle  went  on  alone. 


THE  MAN  WITH  THE  COCOANUTS 

Tinguian 

NE  day  a  man  who  had  been  to  gather  his  cocoa- 
nuts  loaded  his  horse  heavily  with  the  fruit.  On 
the  way  home  he  met  a  boy  whom  he  asked  how  long 
it  would  take  to  reach  the  house. 

"If  you  go  slowly,"  said  the  boy,  looking  at  the  load 
on  the  horse,  "you  will  arrive  very  soon;  but  if  you 
go  fast,  it  will  take  you  all  day." 

The  man  could  not  believe  this  strange  speech,  so 
he  hurried  his  horse.  But  the  cocoanuts  fell  off  and  he 
had  to  stop  to  pick  them  up.  Then  he  hurried  his 
horse  all  the  more  to  make  up  for  lost  time,  but  the 
cocoanuts  fell  off  again.  Many  times  he  did  this,  and 
it  was  night  when  he  reached  home.1 


JHere  we  have  a  proverbial  tale,  one  in  which  the  Tinguian  ex- 
presses the  idea,  "Haste  makes  waste." 


[88] 


THE  CARABAO  AND  THE  SHELL 

Tinguian 

NE  very  hot  day,  when  a  carabao  went  into  the 
river  to  bathe,  he  met  a  shell  and  they  began 
talking  together. 

"You  are  very  slow,"  said  the  carabao  to  the  shell. 
"Oh,  no,"  replied  the  shell.     "I  can  beat  you  in  a 


o 


race." 


"Then  let  us  try  and  see,"  said  the  carabao. 

So  they  went  out  on  the  bank  and  started  to  run. 

After  the  carabao  had  gone  a  long  distance  he 
stopped  and  called,  "Shell!" 

And  another  shell  lying  by  the  river  answered,  "Here 
I  am!" 

Then  the  carabao,  thinking  that  it  was  the  same 
shell  with  which  he  was  racing,  ran  on. 

By  and  by  he  stopped  again  and  called,  "Shell!" 

Again  another  shell  answered,  "Here  I  am !" 

The  carabao  was  surprised  that  the  shell  could  keep 
up  with  him.  But  he  ran  on  and  on,  and  every  time 
he  stopped  to  call,  another  shell  answered  him.  But 
he  was  determined  that  the  shell  should  not  beat  him, 
so  he  ran  until  he  dropped  dead.1 


1Another  version  of  this  tale  is  found  in  British  North  Borneo  in 
the  story  of  the  plandok  and  the  crab,  while  to  European  children 
it  is  known  as  the  race  between  the  turtle  and  the  hare. 


[89] 


T 


THE  ALLIGATOR'S  FRUIT 

Tinguian 

WO  women  went  to  gather  some  wild  fruit  from 
a  vine  which  belonged  to  the  alligator. 

"You  must  be  careful  not  to  throw  the  rind  with 
your  teeth  marks  on  it  where  the  alligator  can  see  it," 
said  one  of  the  women  to  the  other  as  they  sat  eating 
the  fruit. 

But  the  other  woman  paid  no  attention  and  threw 
the  rind  showing  teeth  marks  into  the  river,  where  the 
alligator  saw  it. 

Thus  he  knew  at  once  who  had  taken  his  fruit,  and 
he  was  very  angry.  He  went  to  the  house  of  the 
woman  and  called  to  the  people : 

"Bring  out  the  woman  that  I  may  eat  her,  for  she 
has  eaten  my  fruit." 

"Very  well,"  answered  the  people.  "But  sit  down 
and  wait  a  little  while." 

Then  they  put  the  iron  soil-turner  into  the  fire,  and 
when  it  was  red  hot,  they  took  it  to  the  door  and  said 
to  the  alligator: 

"Here,  eat  this  first." 

He  opened  his  mouth,  and  they  pushed  the  red  hot 
iron  down  his  throat,  and  he  died. 


[90] 


BAMBOO  RAFTS 


HAULING  BAMBOO 


RICE  TERRACES  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 


A  RICE  FIELD 
(Showing  bird  flappers) 


DOGEDOG 

Tinguian 

T^\OGEDOG  had  always  been  very  lazy,  and  now 
*"^  that  his  father  and  mother  were  dead  and  he  had 
no  one  to  care  for  him,  he  lived  very  poorly.  He  had 
little  to  eat.  His  house  was  old  and  small  and  so 
poor  that  it  had  not  even  a  floor.  Still  he  would  rather 
sit  all  day  and  idle  away  his  time  than  to  work  and 
have  more  things. 

One  day,  however,  when  the  rainy  season  was  near 
at  hand,  Dogedog  began  thinking  how  cold  he  would 
be  when  the  storms  came,  and  he  felt  so  sorry  for 
himself  that  he  decided  to  make  a  floor  in  his  house. 

Wrapping  some  rice  in  a  banana  leaf  for  his  dinner, 
he  took  his  long  knife  and  went  to  the  forest  to  cut 
some  bamboo.  He  hung  the  bundle  of  rice  in  a  tree 
until  he  should  need  it;  but  while  he  was  working  a 
cat  came  and  ate  it.  When  the  hungry  man  came  for 
his  dinner,  there  was  none  left.  Dogedog  went  back 
to  his  miserable  little  house  which  looked  forlorn  to 
him  even,  now  that  he  had  decided  to  have  a  floor. 

The  next  day  he  went  again  to  the  forest  and  hung 
his  rice  in  the  tree  as  he  did  before,  but  again  the  cat 
came  and  ate  it.  So  the  man  had  to  go  home  without 
any  dinner. 

The  third  day  he  took  the  rice,  but  this  time  he  fixed 
a  trap  in  the  tree,  and  when  the  cat  came  it  was  caught. 

[90 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"Now  I  have  you !"  cried  the  man  when  he  found  the 
cat;  "and  I  shall  kill  you  for  stealing  my  rice." 

"Oh,  do  not  kill  me,"  pleaded  the  cat,  "and  I  will 
be  of  some  use  to  you." 

So  Dogedog  decided  to  spare  the  cat's  life,  and  he 
took  it  home  and  tied  it  near  the  door  to  guard  the 
house. 

Some  time  later  when  he  went  to  look  at  it,  he  was 
very  much  surprised  to  find  that  it  had  become  a  cock. 

"Now  I  can  go  to  the  cock-fight  at  Magsingal," 
cried  the  man.  And  he  was  very  happy,  for  he  had 
much  rather  do  that  than  work. 

Thinking  no  more  of  getting  wood  for  his  floor,  he 
started  out  at  once  for  Magsingal  with  the  cock  under 
his  arm.  As  he  was  crossing  a  river  he  met  an  alligator 
which  called  out  to  him : 

"Where  are  you  going,  Dogedog?" 

"To  the  cock-fight  at  Magsingal,"  replied  the  man 
as  he  fondly  stroked  the  rooster. 

"Wait,  and  I  will  go  with  you,"  said  the  alligator; 
and  he  drew  himself  out  of  the  water. 

The  two  walking  along  together  soon  entered  a  for- 
est where  they  met  a  deer  and  it  asked: 

"Where  are  you  going,  Dogedog?" 

"To  the  cock-fight  at  Magsingal,"  said  the  man. 

"Wait  and  I  will  go  with  you,"  said  the  deer;  and 
he  also  joined  them. 

By  and  by  they  met  a  mound  of  earth  that  had  been 
raised  by  the  ants,  and  they  would  have  passed  without 
noticing  it  had  it  not  inquired: 

"Where  are  you  going,  Dogedog?" 

[92] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"To  the  cock-fight  at  Magsingal,"  said  the  man  once 
more;  and  the  mound  of  earth  joined  them. 

The  company  then  hurried  on,  and  just  as  they  were 
leaving  the  forest,  they  passed  a  big  tree  in  which  was 
a  monkey. 

"Where  are  you  going,  Dogedog?"  shrieked  the 
monkey.  And  without  waiting  for  an  answer  he 
scrambled  down  the  tree  and  followed  them. 

As  the  party  walked  along  they  talked  together,  and 
the  alligator  said  to  Dogedog: 

"If  any  man  wants  to  dive  into  the  water,  I  can  stay 
under  longer  than  he." 

Then  the  deer,  not  to  be  outdone,  said: 

"If  any  man  wants  to  run,  I  can  run  faster." 

The  mound  of  earth,  anxious  to  show  its  strength, 
said: 

"If  any  man  wants  to  wrestle,  I  can  beat  him." 

And  the  monkey  said: 

"If  any  man  wants  to  climb,  I  can  go  higher." 

They  reached  Magsingal  in  good  time  and  the  peo- 
ple were  ready  for  the  fight  to  begin.  When  Dogedog 
put  his  rooster,  which  had  been  a  cat,  into  the  pit,  it 
killed  the  other  cock  at  once,  for  it  used  its  claws 
like  a  cat. 

The  people  brought  more  roosters  and  wagered 
much  money,  but  Dogedog' s  cock  killed  all  the  others 
until  there  was  not  one  left  in  Magsingal,  and  Dogedog 
won  much  money.  Then  they  went  outside  the  town 
and  brought  all  the  cocks  they  could  find,  but  not  one 
could  win  over  that  of  Dogedog. 

When  the  cocks  were  all  dead,  the  people  wanted 

[93] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

some  other  sport,  so  they  brought  a  man  who  could 
stay  under  water  for  a  long  time,  and  Dogedog  made 
him  compete  with  the  alligator.  But  after  a  while  the 
man  had  to  come  up  first.  Then  they  brought  a  swift 
runner  and  he  raced  with  the  deer,  but  the  man  was 
left  far  behind.  Next  they  looked  around  until  they 
found  a  very  large  man  who  was  willing  to  contend 
with  the  mound  of  earth,  but  after  a  hard  struggle  the 
man  was  thrown. 

Finally  they  brought  a  man  who  could  climb  higher 
than  anyone  else,  but  the  monkey  went  far  above  him, 
and  he  had  to  give  up. 

All  these  contests  had  brought  much  money  to  Doge- 
dog,  and  now  he  had  to  buy  two  horses  to  carry  his 
sacks  of  silver.  As  soon  as  he  reached  home,  he 
bought  the  house  of  a  very  rich  man  and  went  to  live 
in  it.  And  he  was  very  happy,  for  he  did  not  have  to 
work  any  more.1 


1The  story  shows  the  influence  of  the  Christianized  natives,  among 
whom  cock-fighting  is  a  very  popular  sport.  It  is  found  only  among 
those  Tinguian  who  come  into  contact  with  this  class. 


[94] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Igorot 


INTRODUCTION 

'IpHREE  or  four  days'  journey  to  the  south  and  east 
-*•  of  the  Tinguian  live  the  Igorot;  but  so  difficult 
are  the  trails  over  the  mountains  and  through  the 
swift  rivers  that  there  is  little  intercourse  between  the 
two  tribes,  consequently  each  believes  the  other  a  people 
to  be  feared.  Salt,  weapons,  and  jars  are  sometimes 
exchanged,  but  the  customs  and  beliefs  are  not  sim- 
ilar. Each  group  leads  its  own  life  and  is  governed 
by  its  own  spirits. 

From  a  distance  an  Igorot  village  looks  like  a  group 
of  haystacks  nestling  among  the  hills ;  but  viewed  more 
closely,  it  is  found  to  consist  of  houses  whose  board 
sides  are  almost  hidden  by  the  overhanging  grass  roofs. 
The  upper  part  of  the  house  is  used  as  a  storehouse, 
while  below,  on  a  ground  floor,  the  family  cooks  and 
eats.  In  one  end  there  is  a  tiny  boxlike  bedroom  where 
the  father,  mother,  and  small  children  sleep.  After 
they  are  two  or  three  years  old  the  girls  spend  the 
night  in  a  dormitory,  while  the  boys  sleep  in  the  men's 
council  house. 

These  people  have  splendid  terraced  fields  on  the 
mountain  sides  where  water  is  brought  from  the  streams 
through  troughs  and  ditches.  Here  both  men  and 
women  are  busy  early  and  late  cultivating  the  rice, 
sweet  potatoes,  and  small  vegetables  on  which  they 
live.  The  men  are  head-hunters  and  ardent  warriors, 

[97] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

each  village  demanding  a  head  in  payment  for  any 
taken  by  a  hostile  village. 

Watching  over  the  Igorot,  controlling  the  winds  and 
the  rains,  and  providing  good  crops  and  health  for  the 
people,  is  the  Great  Spirit,  Lumawig,  who  lives  in  the 
sky.  He  is  believed  to  have  created  the  Igorot  and 
even  to  have  lived  among  them  on  the  earth.  He  no 
longer  visits  them  in  person,  they  say,  but  each  month 
they  perform  a  ceremony  at  which  they  pray  to  him  to 
protect  them  and  entreat  him  to  favor  them  with 
health  and  good  crops. 

The  following  tales  are  told  by  the  fathers  and 
mothers  to  the  children  to  teach  them  how  things  came 
to  be  as  they  are. 


[98] 


THE  CREATION 

Igorot 

T  N  the  beginning  there  were  no  people  on  the  earth. 
•*•  Lumawig,1  the  Great  Spirit,  came  down  from  the 
sky  and  cut  many  reeds.2  He  divided  these  into  pairs 
which  he  placed  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  and 
then  he  said  to  them,  "You  must  speak."  Immedi- 
ately the  reeds  became  people,  and  in  each  place  was 
a  man  and  a  woman  who  could  talk,  but  the  language 
of  each  couple  differed  from  that  of  the  others. 

Then  Lumawig  commanded  each  man  and  woman  to 
marry,  which  they  did.  By  and  by  there  were  many 
children,  all  speaking  the  same  language  as  their  par- 


1Lumawig  is  the  greatest  of  all  spirits  and  now  lives  in  the  sky, 
though  for  a  time  his  home  was  in  the  Igorot  village  of  Bontoc.  He 
married  a  Bontoc  girl,  and  the  stones  of  their  house  are  still  to  be 
seen  in  the  village.  It  was  Lumawig  who  created  the  Igorot,  and 
ever  since  he  has  taken  a  great  interest  in  them,  teaching  them  how  to 
overcome  the  forces  of  nature,  how  to  plant,  to  reap  and,  in  fact, 
everything  that  they  know.  Once  each  month  a  ceremony  is  held  in 
his  honor  in  a  sacred  grove,  whose  trees  are  believed  to  have  sprung 
from  the  graves  of  his  children.  Here  prayers  are  offered  for  health, 
good  crops,  and  success  in  battle.  A  close  resemblance  exists  between 
Lumawig  of  the  Igorot  and  Kaboniyan  of  the  Tinguian,  the  former 
being  sometimes  called  Kambun'yan. 

2The  Bukidnon  of  Mindanao  have  the  following  story:  During  a 
great  drought  Mampolompon  could  grow  nothing  on  his  clearing 
except  one  bamboo,  and  during  a  high  wind  this  was  broken.  From 
this  bamboo  came  a  dog  and  a  woman,  who  were  the  ancestors  of  the 
Moro.  See  "The  White  Squash,"  note  i,  p.  186. 

[99] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

ents.  These,  in  turn,  married  and  had  many  chil- 
dren. In  this  way  there  came  to  be  many  people  on  the 
earth. 

Now  Lumawig  saw  that  there  were  several  things 
which  the  people  on  the  earth  needed  to  use,  so  he  set 
to  work  to  supply  them.  He  created  salt,  and  told 
the  inhabitants  of  one  place  to  boil  it  down  and  sell 
it  to  their  neighbors.  But  these  people  could  not 
understand  the  directions  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and 
the  next  time  he  visited  them,  they  had  not  touched 
the  salt. 

Then  he  took  it  away  from  them  and  gave  it  to  the 
people  of  a  place  called  Mayinit.1  These  did  as  he 
directed,  and  because  of  this  he  told  them  that  they 
should  always  be  owners  of  the  salt,  and  that  the  other 
peoples  must  buy  of  them. 

Then  Lumawig  went  to  the  people  of  Bontoc  and 
told  them  to  get  clay  and  make  pots.  They  got  the 
clay,  but  they  did  not  understand  the  moulding,  and 
the  jars  were  not  well  shaped.  Because  of  their  failure, 
Lumawig  told  them  that  they  would  always  have  to 

'At  the  north  end  of  the  village  of  Mayinit  are  a  number  of  brackish 
hot  springs,  and  from  these  the  people  secure  the  salt  which  has  made 
the  spot  famous  for  miles  around.  Stones  are  placed  in  the  shallow 
streams  flowing  from  these  springs,  and  when  they  have  become  en- 
crusted with  salt  (about  once  a  month)  they  are  washed  and  the  water 
is  evaporated  by  boiling.  The  salt,  which  is  then  a  thick  paste,  is 
formed  into  cakes  and  baked  near  the  fire  for  about  half  an  hour, 
when  it  is  ready  for  use.  It  is  the  only  salt  in  this  section,  and  is  in 
great  demand.  Even  hostile  tribes  come  to  a  hill  overlooking  the  town 
and  call  down,  then  deposit  whatever  they  have  for  trade  and  with- 
draw,  while  the  Igorot  take  up  the  salt  and  leave  it  in  place  of  the 
trade  articles. 

[100] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 


buy  their  jars,  and  he  removed  the  pottery  to  Samoki.1 
When  he  told  the  people  there  what  to  do,  they  did 
just  as  he  said,  and  their  jars  were  well  shaped  and 
beautiful.  Then  the  Great  Spirit  saw  that  they  were 
fit  owners  of  the  pottery,  and  he  told  them  that  they 
should  always  make  many  jars  to  sell. 

In  this  way  Lumawig  taught  the  people  and  brought 
to  them  all  the  things  which  they  now  have. 


*The  women  of  Samoki  are  known  as  excellent  potters,  and  their 
ware  is  used  over  a  wide  area.  From  a  pit  on  a  hillside  to  the  north 
of  the  village  they  dig  a  reddish-brown  clay,  which  they  mix  with  a 
bluish  mineral  gathered  on  another  hillside.  When  thoroughly  mixed, 
this  clay  is  placed  on  a  board  on  the  ground,  and  the  potter,  kneeling 
before  it,  begins  her  moulding.  Great  patience  and  skill  are  required 
to  bring  the  vessel  to  the  desired  shape.  When  it  is  completed  it  is 
set  in  the  sun  to  dry  for  two  or  three  days,  after  which  it  is  ready  for 
the  baking.  The  new  pots  are  piled  tier  above  tier  on  the  ground  and 
blanketed  with  grass  tied  into  bundles.  Then  pine  bark  is  burned 
beneath  and  around  the  pile  for  about  an  hour,  when  the  ware  is  suf- 
ficiently fired.  It  is  then  glazed  with  resin  and  is  ready  to  market. 


[101] 


o 


THE  FLOOD  STORY 

Igorot 

NCE  upon  a  time,  when  the  world  was  flat  and 
there  were  no  mountains,  there  lived  two  brothers, 
sons  of  Lumawig,  the  Great  Spirit.  The  brothers  were 
fond  of  hunting,  and  since  no  mountains  had  formed 
there  was  no  good  place  to  catch  wild  pig  and  deer, 
and  the  older  brother  said: 

"Let  us  cause  water  to  flow  over  all  the  world  and 
cover  it,  and  then  mountains  will  rise  up." x 

So  they  caused  water  to  flow  over  all  the  earth,  and 
when  it  was  covered  they  took  the  head-basket2  of  the 
town  and  set  it  for  a  trap.  The  brothers  were  very 
much  pleased  when  they  went  to  look  at  their  trap,  for 
they  had  caught  not  only  many  wild  pigs  and  deer  but 
also  many  people. 

Now  Lumawig  looked  down  from  his  place  in  the 
sky  and  saw  that  his  sons  had  flooded  the  earth  and 
that  in  all  the  world  there  was  just  one  spot  which  was 
not  covered.  And  he  saw  that  all  the  people  in  the 
world  had  been  drowned  except  one  brother  and  sister 
who  lived  in  Pokis. 


1The  mythology  of  nearly  all  peoples  has  a  flood  story.  For  the 
Tinguian  account  see  note  on  page  103.  For  the  Bukidnon  story  see 
p.  125. 

2A  bamboo  basket,  in  which  the  heads  of  victims  are  kept  prior  to 
the  head-taking  celebration. 

[102] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Then  Lumawig  descended,  and  he  called  to  the  boy 
and  girl,  saying: 

"Oh,  you  are  still  alive." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  boy,  "we  are  still  alive,  but  we 
are  very  cold." 

So  Lumawig  commanded  his  dog  and  deer  to  get 
fire1  for  the  boy  and  girl.  The  dog  and  the  deer 
swam  quickly  away,  but  though  Lumawig  waited  a 
long  time  they  did  not  return,  and  all  the  time  the  boy 
and  girl  were  growing  colder. 

Finally  Lumawig  himself  went  after  the  dog  and  the 
deer,  and  when  he  reached  them  he  said: 

"Why  are  you  so  long  in  bringing  the  fire  to  Pokis? 
Get  ready  and  come  quickly  while  I  watch  you,  for  the 
boy  and  girl  are  very  cold." 

Then  the  dog  and  the  deer  took  the  fire  and  started 
to  swim  through  the  flood,  but  when  they  had  gone 
only  a  little  way  the  fire  was  put  out. 

Lumawig  commanded  them  to  get  more  fire  and  they 
did  so,  but  they  swam  only  a  little  way  again  when 
that  of  the  deer  went  out,  and  that  of  the  dog  would 
have  been  extinguished  also  had  not  Lumawig  gone 
quickly  to  him  and  taken  it. 

As  soon  as  Lumawig  reached  Pokis  he  built  a  big 
fire  which  warmed  the  brother  and  sister;  and  the 


'The  folk-lore  of  all  countries  has  some  story  accounting  for  the 
acquisition  of  fire.  The  Tinguian  tale  is  as  follows:  Once  in  the  very 
old  times  Kaboniyan  sent  a  flood  which  covered  all  the  land.  Then 
there  was  no  place  for  the  fire  to  stay,  so  it  went  into  the  bamboo,  the 
stones,  and  iron.  That  is  why  one  who  knows  how  can  still  get  fire 
out  of  bamboo  and  stones. 

[103] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

water  evaporated  so  that  the  world  was  as  it  was 
before,  except  that  now  there  were  mountains.  The 
brother  and  sister  married  and  had  children,  and  thus 
there  came  to  be  many  people  on  the  earth. 


[104] 


LUMAWIG  ON  EARTH 

Igorot 

NE  day  when  Lumawig,1  the  Great  Spirit,  looked 
down  from  his  place  in  the  sky  he  saw  two  sisters 
gathering  beans.  And  he  decided  to  go  down  to  visit 
them.  When  he  arrived  at  the  place  he  asked  them 
what  they  were  doing.  The  younger,  whose  name  was 
Fukan,  answered: 

"We  are  gathering  beans,  but  it  takes  a  long  time 
to  get  enough,  for  my  sister  wants  to  go  bathing  all 
the  time." 

Then  Lumawig  said  to  the  older  sister: 

"Hand  me  a  single  pod  of  the  beans." 

And  when  she  had  given  it  to  him,  he  shelled  it  into 
the  basket  and  immediately  the  basket  was  full.2  The 
younger  sister  laughed  at  this,  and  Lumawig  said  to 
her: 

"Give  me  another  pod  and  another  basket." 

She  did  so,  and  when  he  had  shelled  the  pod,  that 
basket  was  full  also.  Then  he  said  to  the  younger 
sister: 

"Go  home  and  get  three  more  baskets." 

She  went  home,  but  when  she  asked  for  three  more 
baskets  her  mother  said  that  the  beans  were  few  and 


^ee  note  i,  p.  99. 

2The  magical  increase  of  food  is  a  popular  subject  with  the  Tin- 
guian,  appearing  in  many  of  their  folk-tales.    See  note  2,  p.  48. 

[105] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

she  could  not  need  so  many.  Then  Fukan  told  her  of 
the  young  man  who  could  fill  a  basket  from  one  pod 
of  beans,  and  the  father,  who  heard  her  story,  tfaid : 

"Go  bring  the  young  man  here,  for  I  think  he  must 
be  a  god." 

So  Fukan  took  the  three  baskets  back  to  Lumawig, 
and  when  he  had  filled  them  as  he  did  the  other  two, 
he  helped  the  girls  carry  them  to  the  house.  As  they 
reached  their  home,  he  stopped  outside  to  cool  himself, 
but  the  father  called  to  him  and  he  went  up  into  the 
house  and  asked  for  some  water.  The  father  brought 
him  a  cocoanut  shell  full,  and  before  drinking  Lumawig 
looked  at  it  and  said: 

"If  I  stay  here  with  you,  I  shall  become  very 
strong." 

The  next  morning  Lumawig  asked  to  see  their  chick- 
ens, and  when  they  opened  the  chicken-coop  out  came 
a  hen  and  many  little  chicks.  "Are  these  all  of  your 
chickens?"  asked  Lumawig;  and  the  father  assured 
him  that  they  were  all.  He  then  bade  them  bring  rice 
meal  that  he  might  feed  them,  and  as  the  chickens  ate 
they  all  grew  rapidly  till  they  were  cocks  and  hens. 

Next  Lumawig  asked  how  many  pigs  they  had,  and 
the  father  replied  that  they  had  one  with  some  little 
ones.  Then  Lumawig  bade  them  fill  a  pail  with  sweet 
potato  leaves  and  he  fed  the  pigs.  And  as  they  ate 
they  also  grew  to  full  size. 

The  father  was  so  pleased  with  all  these  things  that 
he  offered  his  elder  daughter  to  Lumawig  for  a  wife. 
But  the  Great  Spirit  said  he  preferred  to  marry  the 
younger;  so  that  was  arranged.  Now  when  his  brother- 

[106] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

in-law  learned  that  Lumawig  desired  a  feast  at  his  wed- 
ding, he  was  very  angry  and  said: 

"Where  would  you  get  food  for  your  wedding  feast? 
There  is  no  rice,  nor  beef,  nor  pork,  nor  chicken. " 

But  Lumawig  only  answered,  "I  shall  provide  our 
wedding  feast." 

In  the  morning  they  all  set  out  for  Lanao,  for 
Lumawig  did  not  care  to  stay  any  longer  in  the  house 
with  his  brother-in-law.  As  soon  as  they  arrived  he 
sent  out  for  some  tree  trunks,  but  the  trees  that  the 
people  brought  in  were  so  small  that  Lumawig  himself 
went  to  the  forest  and  cut  two  large  pine  trees  which 
he  hurled  to  Lanao. 

When  the  people  had  built  a  fire  of  the  trees  he 
commanded  them  to  bring  ten  kettles  filled  with  water. 
Soon  the  water  was  boiling  hot  and  the  brother-in-law 
laughed  and  said: 

"Where  is  your  rice?  You  have  the  boiling  water, 
but  you  do  not  seem  to  think  of  the  rice." 

In  answer  to  this  Lumawig  took  a  small  basket  of 
rice  and  passed  it  over  five  kettles  and  they  were  full. 
Then  he  called  "Yishtjau,"  and  some  deer  came  run- 
ning out  of  the  forest.  These  were  not  what  he  wanted, 
however,  so  he  called  again  and  some  pigs  came.  He 
told  the  people  that  they  were  each  to  catch  one 
and  for  his  brother-in-law  he  selected  the  largest  and 
best. 

They  all  set  out  in  pursuit  of  the  pigs  and  the  others 
quickly  caught  theirs,  but  though  the  brother-in-law 
chased  his  until  he  was  very  tired  and  hot  he  could  not 
catch  it.  Lumawig  laughed  at  him  and  said: 

[107] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"You  chase  that  pig  until  he  is  thin  and  still  you 
cannot  catch  it,  though  all  the  others  have  theirs." 

Thereupon  he  grasped  the  hind  legs  of  the  pig  and 
lifted  it.  All  the  people  laughed  and  the  brother-in- 
law  said: 

"Of  course  you  can  catch  it,  because  I  chased  it  until 
it  was  tired." 

Lumawig  then  handed  it  to  him  and  said,  "Here, 
you  carry  it"  But  no  sooner  had  the  brother-in- 
law  put  it  over  his  shoulder  than  it  cut  loose  and  ran 
away. 

"Why  did  you  let  it  go?"  asked  Lumawig.  "Do  you 
care  nothing  for  it,  even  after  I  caught  it  for  you? 
Catch  it  again  and  bring  it  here." 

So  the  brother-in-law  started  out  again,  and  he 
chased  it  up  stream  and  down,  but  he  could  not  catch  it. 
Finally  Lumawig  reached  down  and  picked  up  the  pig 
and  carried  it  to  the  place  where  the  others  were 
cooking. 

After  they  had  all  eaten  and  drunk  and  made  their 
offerings  to  the  spirits,  Lumawig  said: 

"Come,  let  us  go  to  the  mountain  to  consult  the  omen 
concerning  the  northern  tribes." 

So  they  consulted  the  omen,  but  it  was  not  favorable, 
and  they  were  starting  home  when  the  brother-in-law 
asked  Lumawig  to  create  some  water,  as  the  people 
were  hot  and  thirsty. 

"Why  do  you  not  create  water,  Lumawig?"  he  re- 
peated as  Lumawig  paid  no  attention  to  him.  "You 
care  nothing  that  the  people  are  thirsty  and  in  need 
of  drink." 

[108] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Then  they  quarreled  and  were  very  angry  and  Luma- 
wig  said  to  the  people,  uLet  us  sit  down  and  rest." 

While  they  rested,  Lumawig  struck  the  rock  with 
his  spear  and  water  came  out.1  The  brother-in-law 
jumped  up  to  get  a  drink  first,  but  Lumawig  held  him 
back  and  said  he  must  be  the  last  to  drink.  So  they  all 
drank,  and  when  they  had  finished,  the  brother-in-law 
stepped  up,  but  Lumawig  gave  him  a  push  which  sent 
him  into  the  rock  and  water  came  from  his  body. 

uYou  must  stay  there,"  said  Lumawig,  "because 
you  have  troubled  me  a  great  deal."  And  they  went 
home,  leaving  him  in  the  rock. 

Some  time  after  this  Lumawig  decided  to  go  back 
to  the  sky  to  live,  but  before  he  went  he  took  care  that 
his  wife  should  have  a  home.  He  made  a  coffin  of 
wood2  and  placed  her  in  it  with  a  dog  at  her  feet  and 
a  cock  at  her  head.  And  as  he  set  it  floating  on  the 
water,3  he  told  it  not  to  stop  until  it  reached  Tinglayen. 
Then,  if  the  foot  end  struck  first,  the  dog  should  bark; 


*Note  the  similarity  to  the  story  of  Moses  in  this  account  of  Lumawig 
striking  the  rock  and  water  coming  out.  There  is  a  possibility  that 
this  incident  was  added  to  the  story  after  the  advent  of  the  Catholic 
missionaries. 

2Usually  one  or  more  new  coffins  can  be  found  in  an  Igorot  village. 
They  are  made  from  a  log  split  in  two  lengthwise,  each  half  being 
hollowed  out.  Since  their  manufacture  requires  some  days,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  prepare  them  ahead  of  time.  After  the  body  is  put  in,  the 
cover  is  tied  on  with  rattan  and  the  chinks  sealed  with  mud  and  lime. 

3A  somewhat  similar  idea  is  found  among  the  Kulaman  of  southern 
Mindanao.  Here  when  an  important  man  dies  he  is  placed  in  a  coffin, 
which  resembles  a  small  boat,  the  coffin  being  then  fastened  on  high 
poles  near  the  sea.  See  Cole,  Wild  Tribes  of  Davao  District,  Min- 
danao, Pub.  Field  Museum  of  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  XII,  No.  2,  1913. 


[109] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

and  if  the  head  end  was  the  first  to  strike,  the  cock 
should  crow.  So  it  floated  away,  and  on  and  on,  until 
it  came  to  Tinglayen. 

Now  a  widower  was  sharpening  his  ax  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  and  when  he  saw  the  coffin  stop,  he  went 
to  fish  it  out  of  the  water.  On  shore  he  started  to  open 
it,  but  Fugan  cried  out,  "Do  not  drive  a  wedge,  for  I 
am  here."  So  the  widower  opened  it  carefully  and 
took  Fugan  up  to  the  town,  and  then  as  he  had  no  wife 
of  his  own,  he  married  her. 


[no] 


o 


HOW  THE  FIRST  HEAD  WAS  TAKEN1 

Igorot 
NE   day  the   Moon,  who  was  a  woman  named 


Kabigat,  sat  out  in  the  yard  making  a  large  cop- 
per pot.  The  copper  was  still  soft  and  pliable  like 
clay,  and  the  woman  squatted  on  the  ground  with  the 
heavy  pot  against  her  knees  while  she  patted  and 
shaped  it.2 

Now  while  she  was  working  a  son  of  Chal-chal,  the 
Sun,  came  by  and  stopped  to  watch  her  mould  the 
form.  Against  the  inside  of  the  jar  she  pressed  a  stone, 
while  on  the  outside  with  a  wooden  paddle  dripping 
with  water  she  pounded  and  slapped  until  she  had 
worked  down  the  bulges  and  formed  a  smooth  surface. 

The  boy  was  greatly  interested  in  seeing  the  jar 
grow  larger,  more  beautiful,  and  smoother  with  each 
stroke,  and  he  stood  still  for  some  time.  Suddenly  the 
Moon  looked  up  and  saw  him  watching  her.  Instantly 
she  struck  him  with  her  paddle,  cutting  off  his  head. 

Now  the  Sun  was  not  near,  but  he  knew  as  soon  as 


is  story,  first  recorded  by  Dr.  A.  E.  Jenks,  gives  the  origin  of  the 
custom  of  head-hunting,  which  plays  such  an  important  part  in  the 
life  of  the  Igorot.  The  Igorot  claim  to  have  taken  heads  ever  since 
Lumawig  lived  on  earth  and  taught  them  to  go  to  war,  and  they  de- 
clare that  it  makes  them  brave  and  manly.  The  return  of  a  successful 
war  party  is  the  signal  for  a  great  celebration. 

is  is  also  the  common  way  of  making  pottery. 

[in] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

the  Moon  had  cut  off  his  son's  head.  And  hurrying 
to  the  spot,  he  put  the  boy's  head  back  on,  and  he  was 
alive  again. 

Then  the  Sun  said  to  the  Moon,  "You  cut  off  my 
son's  head,  and  because  you  did  this  ever  after  on  the 
earth  people  will  cut  off  each  other's  heads." 


[112] 


THE  SERPENT  EAGLE1 

Igorot 

there  lived  two  boys  whose  mother  sent  them 
every  day  to  the  forest  to  get  wood2  for  her 
fires.  Each  morning,  as  they  started  out,  she  gave 
them  some  food  for  their  trip,  but  it  was  always  poor 
and  there  was  little  of  it,  and  she  would  say: 

"The  wood  that  you  brought  yesterday  was  so  poor 
that  I  cannot  give  you  much  to  eat  today." 

The  boys  tried  very  hard  to  please  her,  but  if  they 
brought  nice  pine  wood  she  scolded  them,  and  if  they 
brought  large  dry  reeds  she  said: 

"These  are  no  good  for  my  fire,  for  they  leave  too 
much  ashes  in  the  house." 

Try  as  they  would,  they  failed  to  satisfy  her;  and 
their  bodies  grew  very  thin  from  working  hard  all 
day  and  from  want  of  enough  to  eat. 

One  morning  when  they  left  for  the  mountains  the 
mother  gave  them  a  bit  of  dog  meat  to  eat,  and  the 
boys  were  very  sad.  When  they  reached  the  forest  one 
of  them  said: 


1Here  we  have  a  story,  recorded  by  Dr.  A.  E.  Jenks,  with  a  twofold 
value:  it  is  told  to  the  children  as  a  warning  against  stinginess,  and 
it  also  explains  the  origin  of  the  serpent  eagle. 

2There  is  no  jungle  in  the  greater  part  of  the  Igorot  country,  the 
mountains  being  covered  by  cogon  grass  with  occasional  pine  trees. 
At  a  distance  these  have  a  strange  appearance,  for  only  the  bushy 
tops  are  left,  the  lower  branches  being  cut  off  for  fuel. 

[113] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"You  wait  here  while  I  climb  the  tree  and  cut  off 
some  branches." 

He  went  up  the  tree  and  soon  called  down,  "Here 
is  some  wood,"  and  the  bones  of  his  arm  dropped  to 
the  ground. 

"Oh,"  cried  his  brother,  "it  is  your  arm  I" 

"Here  is  some  more  wood,"  cried  the  other,  and 
the  bones  of  the  other  arm  dropped  to  the  ground. 

Then  he  called  again,  and  the  bones  of  his  leg  fell, 
then  those  of  his  other  leg,  and  so  on  till  all  the  bones 
of  his  body  lay  on  the  ground. 

"Take  these  home,"  he  said,  "and  tell  the  woman 
that  here  is  her  wood;  she  only  wanted  my  bones." 

The  younger  boy  was  very  sad,  for  he  was  alone, 
and  there  was  no  one  to  go  down  the  mountain  with 
him.  He  gathered  up  the  bundle  of  wood,  wondering 
meanwhile  what  he  should  do,  but  just  as  he  finished  a 
serpent  eagle  called  down  from  the  tree  tops: 

"I  will  go  with  you,  Brother." 

So  the  boy  put  the  bundle  of  wood  on  his  shoulder, 
and  as  he  was  going  down  the  mountain,  his  brother, 
who  was  now  a  serpent  eagle,  flew  over  his  head. 
When  he  reached  the  house,  he  put  down  the  bundle 
and  said  to  his  mother: 

"Here  is  your  wood." 

When  she  looked  at  it  she  was  very  much  frightened 
and  ran  out  of  the  house. 

Then  the  serpent  eagle  circled  round  and  round 
above  her  head  and  called: 

"Quiukok!  quiukok!  quiukok!  I  do  not  need  your 
food  any  more." 


THE  TATTOOED  MEN1 

Igorot 

there  were  two  young  men,  very  good 
friends,  who  were  unhappy  because  neither  of 
them  had  been  tattooed.2  They  felt  that  they  were  not 
as  beautiful  as  their  friends. 

One  day  they  agreed  to  tattoo  each  other.  One 
marked  the  breast  and  back  of  the  other,  his  arms  and 
legs,  and  even  his  face.  And  when  he  had  finished,  he 
took  soot  off  the  bottom  of  a  cooking-pot  and  rubbed 
it  into  all  the  marks ;  and  he  was  tattooed  beautifully. 

The  one  who  had  done  the  work  said  to  the  other: 

"Now,  my  friend,  you  are  very  beautiful,  and  you 
must  tattoo  me." 

Then  the  tattooed  one  scraped  a  great  pile  of  black 
soot  off  the  cooking-pots,  and  before  the  other  knew 
what  he  was  about,  he  had  rubbed  it  all  over  him  from 
the  top  of  his  head  to  the  bottom  of  his  feet;  and  he 


'First  recorded  by  Dr.  A.  E.  Jenks. 

2Tattooing  is  a  painful  process,  but  Igorot  men,  women,  and 
children  willingly  submit  to  it  for  the  sake  of  beauty.  The  design  is 
first  drawn  on  the  skin  with  an  ink  made  of  soot  and  water:  then 
the  skin  is  pricked  through  the  pattern  and  the  soot  is  rubbed  into  the 
wounds.  Various  designs  appear  on  the  face,  arms,  stomach,  and 
other  parts  of  the  body,  but  the  most  important  of  all  markings  is  that 
on  the  breast  of  an  Igorot  man.  This  designates  him  as  the  taker  of 
at  least  one  human  head,  and  he  is  thus  shown  to  be  worthy  of  the 
respect  of  his  tribe. 

["5] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

was  very  black  and  greasy.  The  one  who  was  covered 
with  soot  became  very  angry  and  cried: 

"Why  do  you  treat  me  so  when  I  tattooed  you  so 
carefully?" 

They  began  to  fight,  but  suddenly  the  beautifully  tat- 
tooed one  became  a  great  lizard  which  ran  away  and 
hid  in  the  tall  grass,  while  the  sooty  one  became  a  crow 
and  flew  away  over  the  village.1 


story  also  accounts  for  the  origin  of  the  crow  and  the  lizard, 
both  of  which  are  common  in  the  Igorot  country. 


[116] 


TILIN,  THE  RICE  BIRD1 

Igorot 

day  when  a  mother  was  pounding  out  rice  to 
cook  for  supper,  her  little  girl  ran  up  to  her  and 
cried: 

"Oh,  Mother,  give  me  some  of  the  raw  rice  to 
eat." 

"No,"  said  the  mother,  "it  is  not  good  for  you  to 
eat  until  it  is  cooked.  Wait  for  supper." 

But  the  little  girl  persisted  until  the  mother,  out  of 
patience,  cried: 

"Be  still.     It  is  not  good  for  you  to  talk  so  much !" 

When  she  had  finished  pounding  the  rice,  the  woman 
poured  it  into  a  rice  winnower  and  tossed  it  many  times 
into  the  air.  As  soon  as  the  chaff  was  removed  she 
emptied  the  rice  into  her  basket  and  covered  it  with 
the  winnower.  Then  she  took  the  jar  upon  her  head, 
and  started  for  the  spring  to  get  water. 

Now  the  little  girl  was  fond  of  going  to  the  spring 
with  her  mother,  for  she  loved  to  play  in  the  cool 
water  while  her  mother  filled  the  jars.  But  this  time 
she  did  not  go,  and  as  soon  as  the  woman  was  out  of 
sight,  she  ran  to  the  basket  of  rice.  She  reached  down 


'This  story,  first  recorded  by  Dr.  A.  E.  Jenks,  while  it  explains  the 
origin  of  the  little  rice  bird,  also  points  a  moral,  namely,  that  there  is 
punishment  for  the  disobedient  child. 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

to  take  a  handful  of  the  grain.  The  cover  slipped  so 
that  she  fell,  and  was  covered  up  in  the  basket. 

When  the  mother  returned  to  the  house,  she  heard 
a  bird  crying,  "King,  king,  nik !  nik !  nik !"  She  listened 
carefully,  and  as  the  sound  seemed  to  come  from  the 
basket,  she  removed  the  cover.  To  her  surprise,  out 
hopped  a  little  brown  rice  bird,  and  as  it  flew  away  it 
kept  calling  back: 

"Goodbye,  Mother;  goodbye,  Mother.  You  would 
not  give  me  any  rice  to  eat." 


[118] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Wild  Tribes  of  Mindanao 


INTRODUCTION 

ABOUT  one  thousand  miles  to  the  south  and  east 
of  the  Tinguian  and  Igorot  is  the  Island  of  Min- 
danao, which  is  inhabited  by  mortals  and  immortals 
entirely  unknown  to  the  mountain  tribes  of  the  north. 

In  the  northern  part  of  this  great  island  are  the 
Bukidnon  —  timid,  wild  people  who,  attacked  from 
time  to  time  by  the  Moro  on  one  side  and  the  Manobo 
on  the  other,  have  drawn  back  into  scattered  homes  in 
the  hills.  Here  they  live  in  poor  dwellings  raised  high 
from  the  ground.  Some  even  build  in  trees,  their  shel- 
tered and  secret  positions  making  them  less  subject  to 
attack. 

They  are  not  a  warlike  people,  and  their  greatest 
concern  is  for  the  good  will  of  the  numerous  spirits 
who  watch  over  their  every  act.  At  times  they  gather 
a  little  hemp  or  coffee  from  the  hillside  or  along  the 
stream  bank  and  carry  it  to  the  coast  to  exchange  for 
the  bright  cloth  which  they  make  into  gay  clothes. 
But  they  do  not  love  work,  and  the  most  of  their  time 
is  spent  in  resting  or  attending  ceremonies  made  to 
gain  the  good  will  of  the  immortals. 

In  this  country  the  belief  prevails  that  there  are 
spirits  in  the  stones,  in  the  baliti  trees,  in  the  vines,  the 
cliffs,  and  even  the  caves.  And  never  does  a  man  start 
on  a  journey  or  make  a  clearing  on  the  mountain  side 
until  he  has  first  besought  these  spirits  not  to  be  angry 

[m] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

with  him  but  to  favor  him  with  prosperity  and  bring 
good  crops. 

The  greatest  of  the  spirits  is  Diwata  Magbabaya, 
who  is  so  awe-inspiring  that  his  name  is  never  men- 
tioned above  a  whisper.  He  lives  in  the  sky  in  a 
house  made  of  coins,  and  there  are  no  windows  in  this 
building,  for  if  men  should  look  upon  him  they  would 
melt  into  water. 

About  the  Gulf  of  Davao,  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  this  island,  are  a  number  of  small  tribes,  each  dif- 
fering somewhat  from  the  other  in  customs  and  beliefs. 
Of  these  the  most  influential  are  the  Bagobo  who  dwell 
on  the  lower  slopes  of  Mt.  Apo,  the  highest  peak  in 
the  Philippines.  They  are  very  industrious,  forging 
excellent  knives,  casting  fine  articles  in  brass,  and 
weaving  beautiful  hemp  cloth  which  they  make  into 
elaborate  garments  decorated  with  beads  and  shell 
disks. 

The  men  are  great  warriors,  each  gaining  distinction 
among  his  people  according  to  the  number  of  human 
lives  he  has  taken.  A  number  of  them  dress  in  dark 
red  suits  and  peculiar  headbands  which  they  are  per- 
mitted to  wear  only  after  they  have  taken  six  lives. 
Notwithstanding  their  bravery  in  battle,  these  people 
fear  and  have  great  respect  for  the  numerous  spirits 
who  rule  over  their  lives. 

From  a  great  fissure  in  the  side  of  Mt.  Apo,  clouds 
of  sulphur  fumes  are  constantly  rising,  and  it  is  be- 
lieved to  be  in  this  fissure  that  Mandarangan  and  his 
wife  Darago  live  —  evil  beings  who  look  after  the  for- 
tunes of  the  warriors.  These  spirits  are  feared  and 

[122] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

great  care  is  taken  to  appease  them  with  offerings, 
while  once  a  year  a  human  sacrifice  is  made  to  them. 

The  following  tales  show  something  of  the  beliefs 
of  these  and  the  neighboring  tribes  in  Mindanao. 


HOW  THE  MOON  AND  THE  STARS  CAME 

TO  BE 

Bukidnon  (Mindanao) 

E  day  in  the  times  when  the  sky  was  close  to  the 
ground  a  spinster  went  out  to  pound  rice.1  Before 
she  began  her  work,  she  took  off  the  beads  from  around 
her  neck  and  the  comb  from  her  hair,  and  hung  them 
on  the  sky,  which  at  that  time  looked  like  coral  rock. 

Then  she  began  working,  and  each  time  that  she 
raised  her  pestle  into  the  air  it  struck  the  sky.  For 
some  time  she  pounded  the  rice,  and  then  she  raised  the 
pestle  so  high  that  it  struck  the  sky  very  hard. 

Immediately  the  sky  began  to  rise,2  and  it  went  up 
so  far  that  she  lost  her  ornaments.  Never  did  they 
come  down,  for  the  comb  became  the  moon  and  the 
beads  are  the  stars  that  are  scattered  about. 


aThe  common  way  to  pound  rice  is  to  place  a  bundle  of  the  grain 
on  the  ground  on  a  dried  carabao  hide  and  pound  it  with  a  pestle  to 
loosen  the  heads  from  the  straw.  When  they  are  free  they  are  poured 
into  a  mortar  and  again  pounded  with  the  pestle  until  the  grain  is 
separated  from  the  chaff,  after  which  it  is  winnowed. 

2According  to  the  Klemantin  myth  (Borneo),  the  sky  was  raised 
when  a  giant  named  Usai  accidentally  struck  it  with  his  mallet  while 
pounding  rice.  See  Hose  and  McDougall,  Pagan  Tribes  of  Borneo, 
p.  143. 


[124] 


A 


THE  FLOOD  STORY 

Bukidnon  (Mindanao) 

LONG  time  ago  there  was  a  very  big  crab *  which 
crawled  into  the  sea.  And  when  he  went  in  he 
crowded  the  water  out  so  that  it  ran  all  over  the  earth 
and  covered  all  the  land. 

Now  about  one  moon  before  this  happened,  a  wise 
man  had  told  the  people  that  they  must  build  a  large 
raft.2  They  did  as  he  commanded  and  cut  many  large 
trees,  until  they  had  enough  to  make  three  layers. 
These  they  bound  tightly  together,  and  when  it  was 
done  they  fastened  the  raft  with  a  long  rattan  cord  to 
a  big  pole  in  the  earth. 

Soon  after  this  the  floods  came.  White  water  poured 
out  of  the  hills,  and  the  sea  rose  and  covered  even  the 
highest  mountains.  The  people  and  animals  on  the 
raft  were  safe,  but  all  the  others  drowned. 

*A  somewhat  similar  belief  that  a  giant  crab  is  responsible  for  the 
tides  is  widespread  throughout  Malaysia.  The  Batak  of  Palawan 
now  believe,  as  also  do  the  Mandaya  of  eastern  Mindanao,  that  the 
tides  are  caused  by  a  giant  crab  going  in  and  out  of  his  hole  in 
the  sea. 

aThe  similarity  of  this' to  the  biblical  story  of  the  Flood  leads  us 
to  suppose  that  it  has  come  from  the  neighboring  Christianized  or 
Mohammedanized  people  and  has  been  worked  by  the  Bukidnon  into 
the  mould  of  their  own  thought.  However,  the  flood  story  is  some- 
times found  in  such  a  guise  that  it  cannot  be  accounted  for  by  Christian 
influence.  See  for  example,  The  Flood  Story  as  told  in  the  folk-lore 
of  the  Igorot  tribe,  on  p.  102  . 

[125] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

When  the  waters  went  down  and  the  raft  was  again 
on  the  ground,  it  was  near  their  old  home,  for  the 
rattan  cord  had  held. 

But  these  were  the  only  people  left  on  the  whole 
earth. 


MAGBANGAL1 

Bukidnon  (Mindanao) 

TV/TAGBANGAL  was  a  good  hunter,  and  he  often 
-*•-*•  went  to  a  certain  hill  where  he  killed  wild  pigs 
for  food.  One  night  as  it  was  nearing  the  planting 
season,  he  sat  in  his  house  thinking,  and  after  a  long 
time  he  called  to  his  wife.  She  came  to  him,  and  he 
said: 

"Tomorrow  I  shall  go  to  the  hill  and  clear  the  land 
for  our  planting,  but  I  wish  you  to  stay  here." 

"Oh,  let  me  go  with  you,"  begged  his  wife,  "for 
you  have  no  other  companion." 


1This  celestial  myth  accounts  for  a  number  of  constellations  which 
are  of  great  importance  to  the  Bukidnon.  Magbangal  appears  in  the 
sky  in  alirost  dipper  shape,  the  handle  being  formed  by  his  one  re- 
maining arm.  To  the  west  and  nearly  above  him  is  a  V-shaped  con- 
stellation which  is  believed  to  be  the  jaw  of  one  of  the  pigs  which  he 
killed.  Still  farther  to  the  west  appears  the  hill  on  which  he  hunted, 
while  three  groups  of  stars  which  toward  dawn  seem  to  be  following 
him  are  said  to  be  his  hatchet,  the  bamboo  pole  in  which  he  carried 
water,  and  his  large  pet  lizard.  It  is  the  appearance  and  position  of 
these  constellations  in  the  sky  that  show  the  Bukidnon  when  it  is  the 
time  to  clear  land  for  the  yearly  crops  and  to  plant  the  grain;  and 
since  this  knowledge  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  people,  they 
feel  that  Magbangal  does  them  a  lasting  service.  The  hero  Lafaang 
of  a  Borneo  myth,  who  is  represented  .by  the  constellation  Orion,  lost 
his  arm  while  trying  to  cut  down  a  tree  in  a  manner  different  from 
that  prescribed  by  his  celestial  wife,  the  constellation  Pegasen.  See 
Hose  and  McDougall,  Pagan  Tribes  of  Borneo,  Vol.  II,  p.  141. 

[127] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"No,"  said  Magbangal,  "I  wish  to  go  alone,  and 
you  must  stay  at  home." 

So  finally  his  wife  agreed,  and  in  the  morning  she 
arose  early  to  prepare  food  for  him.  When  the  rice 
was  cooked  and  the  fish  ready  she  called  him  to  come 
and  eat,  but  he  said: 

"No,  I  do  not  want  to  eat  now,  but  I  will  return  this 
afternoon  and  you  must  have  it  ready  for  me." 

Then  he  gathered  up  his  ten  hatchets  and  bolos,1  a 
sharpening  stone,  and  a  bamboo  tube  for  water,  and 
started  for  the  hill.  Upon  reaching  his  land  he  cut 
some  small  trees  to  make  a  bench.  When  it  was  fin- 
ished, he  sat  down  on  it  and  said  to  the  bolos,  "You 
bolos  must  sharpen  yourselves  on  the  stone."  And  the 
bolos  went  to  the  stone  and  were  sharpened.  Then 
to  the  hatchets  he  said,  "You  hatchets  must  be  sharp- 
ened," and  they  also  sharpened  themselves. 

When  all  were  ready,  he  said:  "Now  you  bolos  cut 
all  the  small  brush  under  the  trees,  and  you  hatchets 
must  cut  the  large  trees."  So  the  bolos  and  the  hatchets 
went  to  work,  and  from  his  place  on  the  bench  Mag- 
bangal could  see  the  land  being  cleared. 

Magbangal's  wife  was  at  work  in  their  house  weav- 
ing a  skirt,  but  when  she  heard  the  trees  continually 
falling  she  stopped  to  listen  and  thought  to  herself, 
"My  husband  must  have  found  many  people  to  help 
him  clear  our  land.  When  he  left  here,  he  was  alone, 
but  surely  he  cannot  cut  down  the  trees  so  fast.  I  will 
see  who  is  helping  him." 


1Long  knives. 

[128] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

She  left  the  house  and  walked  rapidly  toward  the 
field,  but  as  she  drew  nearer  she  proceeded  more  slowly, 
and  finally  stopped  behind  a  tree.  From  her  hiding- 
place,  she  could  see  her  husband  asleep  on  the  bench, 
and  she  could  also  see  that  the  bolos  and  hatchets  were 
cutting  the  trees  with  no  hands  to  guide  them. 

"Oh,"  said  she,  "Magbangal  is  very  powerful. 
Never  before  have  I  seen  bolos  and  hatchets  working 
without  hands,  and  he  never  told  me  of  his  power." 

Suddenly  she  saw  her  husband  jump  up,  and,  seizing 
a  bolo,  he  cut  off  one  of  his  own  arms.  He  awoke  and 
sat  up  and  said: 

"Someone  must  be  looking  at  me,  for  one  of  my 
arms  is  cut  off." 

When  he  saw  his  wife  he  knew  that  she  was  the 
cause  of  his  losing  his  arm,  and  as  they  went  home 
together,  he  exclaimed : 

"Now  I  am  going  away.  It  is  better  for  me  to  go 
to  the  sky  where  I  can  give  the  sign  to  the  people  when 
it  is  time  to  plant;  and  you  must  go  to  the  water  and 
become  a  fish." 

Soon  after  he  went  to  the  sky  and  became  the  con- 
stellation Magbangal;  and  ever  since,  when  the  people 
see  these  stars  appear  in  the  sky,  they  know  that  it  is 
time  to  plant  their  rice. 


HOW  CHILDREN  BECAME  MONKEYS 

Bukldnon  (Mindanao) 

E  day  a  mother  took  her  two  children  with  her 
when  she  went  to  color  cloth.  Not  far  from  her 
home  was  a  mud  hole1  where  the  carabao  liked  to 
wallow,  and  to  this  hole  she  carried  her  cloth,  some 
dye  pots,  and  two  shell  spoons. 

After  she  had  put  the  cloth  into  the  mud  to  let  it 
take  up  the  dark  color,  she  built  a  fire  and  put  over  it 
a  pot  containing  water  and  the  leaves  used  for  dyeing. 
Then  she  sat  down  to  wait  for  the  water  to  boil,  while 
the  children  played  near  by. 

By  and  by  when  she  went  to  stir  the  leaves  with  a 
shell  spoon,  some  of  the  water  splashed  up  and  burned 
her  hand,  so  that  she  jumped  and  cried  out.  This 
amused  the  children  and  their  laughter  changed  them 
into  monkeys,  and  the  spoons  became  their  tails.2 

The  nails  of  the  monkeys  are  still  black,  because 
while  they  were  children  they  had  helped  their  mother 
dye  the  cloth. 

1Cloth  is  dyed  in  various  colors  by  boiling  it  in  water  in  which  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  leaves  or  roots  have  been  steeped.  But  to  produce  a 
bluish-black  shade  the  fabric  is  partly  buried  in  mud  until  the  desired 
color  is  obtained. 

2Monkeys  are  numerous  throughout  the  Philippines,  and  it  is  doubt- 
less their  human  appearance  and  actions  that  have  caused  the  differ- 
ent tribes  to  try  to  account  for  their  origin  from  man.  Here  we  have 
the  most  likely  way  that  the  Bukidnon  can  see  for  their  coming. 

[130] 


L 


BULANAWAN  AND  AGUIO 

Bukldnon  (Mindanao) 

ANGGONA  and  his  wife  had  twin  boys  named 
Bulanawan  and  Aguio.  One  day,  when  they  were 
about  two  years  old,  the  mother  took  Bulanawan  to 
the  field  with  her  when  she  went  to  pick  cotton.  She 
spread  the  fiber  she  had  gathered  the  day  before  on 
the  ground  to  dry  near  the  child,  and  while  she  was 
getting  more  a  great  wind  suddenly  arose  which  wound 
the  cotton  around  the  baby  and  carried  him  away.  Far 
away  to  a  distant  land  the  wind  took  Bulanawan,  and 
in  that  place  he  grew  up.  When  he  was  a  man,  he 
became  a  great  warrior.1 

One  day  while  Bulanawan  and  his  wife  were  walk- 
ing along  the  seashore,  they  sat  down  to  rest  on  a 
large,  flat  rock,  and  Bulanawan  fell  asleep.  Now 
Aguio,  the  twin  brother  of  Bulanawan,  had  become  a 
great  warrior  also,  and  he  went  on  a  journey  to  this 
distant  land,  not  knowing  that  his  brother  was  there. 
It  happened  that  he  was  walking  along  the  seashore 
in  his  war-dress2  on  this  same  day,  and  when  he  saw 


1This  is  one  of  a  series  of  tales  dealing  with  mythical  heroes  of 
former  times  whose  acts  of  prowess  are  still  recounted  by  Bukidnon 
warriors. 

2A  heavy  padded  hemp  coat  with  a  kilt  which  is  supposed  to  turn 
spears.  Over  the  shoulder  is  worn  a  sash  in  which  are  a  few  peculiar 
stones  and  charms  which  are  believed  to  protect  its  wearer.  Warriors 


[131] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

the  woman  sitting  on  the  large,  flat  rock,  he  thought 
her  very  beautiful,  and  he  determined  to  steal  her. 

As  he  drew  near  he  asked  her  to  give  him  some  of 
her  husband's  betel-nut  to  chew,  and  when  she  refused 
he  went  forward  to  fight  her  husband,  not  knowing 
they  were  brothers.  As  soon  as  his  wife  awakened 
him  Bulanawan  sprang  up,  seized  her,  put  her  in  the 
cuff  of  his  sleeve,1  and  came  forth  ready  to  fight.  Aguio 
grew  very  angry  at  this,  and  they  fought  until  their 
weapons  were  broken,  and  the  earth  trembled. 

Now  the  two  brothers  of  the  rivals  felt  the  earth 
tremble  although  they  were  far  away,  and  each  feared 
that  his  brother  was  in  trouble.  One  was  in  the  moun- 
tains and  he  started  at  once  for  the  sea ;  the  other  was 
in  a  far  land,  but  he  set  out  in  a  boat  for  the  scene  of 
the  trouble. 

They  arrived  at  the  same  time  at  the  place  of  battle, 
and  they  immediately  joined  in  it.  Then  the  trembling 
of  the  earth  increased  so  much  that  Langgona,  the 
father  of  Aguio  and  Bulanawan,  sought  out  the  spot 
and  tried  to  make  peace.  But  he  only  seemed  to  make 
matters  worse,  and  they  all  began  fighting  him.  So 
great  did  the  disturbance  become  that  the  earth  was  in 
danger  of  falling  to  pieces. 

Then  it  was  that  the  father  of  Langgona  came  and 
settled  the  trouble,  and  when  all  were  at  peace  again 
they  discovered  that  Aguio  and  Bulanawan  were  broth- 
ers and  the  grandsons  of  the  peacemaker. 

•who  have  taken  thirty  human  lives  are  permitted  to  wear  a  peculiar 
crown-shaped  headdress  with  upstanding  points. 
*See  note  i,  p.  23. 


i 


ORIGIN 

Bagobo  (Mindanao) 

N  the  beginning  there  lived  one  man  and  one  woman, 
Toglai  and  Toglibon.  Their  first  children  were  a 
boy  and  a  girl.  When  they  were  old  enough,  the  boy 
and  the  girl  went  far  away  across  the  waters  seeking 
a  good  place  to  live  in.  Nothing  more  was  heard  of 
them  until  their  children,  the  Spaniards  and  Americans, 
came  back.  After  the  first  boy  and  girl  left,  other 
children  were  born  to  the  couple,  but  they  all  remained 
at  Cibolan  on  Mt.  Apo  with  their  parents,  until  Toglai 
and  Toglibon  died  and  became  spirits. 

Soon  after  that  there  came  a  great  drought  which 
lasted  for  three  years.  All  the  waters  dried  up,  so 
that  there  were  no  rivers,  and  no  plants  could  live. 

"Surely,"  said  the  people,  "Manama  is  punishing  us 
and  we  must  go  elsewhere  to  find  food  and  a  place  to 
dwell  in." 

So  they  started  out.  Two  went  in  the  direction  of 
the  sunset,  carrying  with  them  stones  from  Cibolan 
River.  After  a  long  journey  they  reached  a  place 
where  were  broad  fields  of  cogon  grass  and  an  abun- 
dance of  water,  and  there  they  made  their  home.  Their 
children  still  live  in  that  place  and  are  called  Magin- 
danau,  because  of  the  stones  which  the  couple  carried 
when  they  left  Cibolan. 

Two  children  of  Toglai  and  Toglibon  went  to  the 

[133] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

south,  seeking  a  home,  and  they  carried  with  them 
women's  baskets  (baraan).  When  they  found  a  good 
spot,  they  settled  down.  Their  descendants,  still 
dwelling  at  that  place,  are  called  Baraan  or  Bilaan, 
because  of  the  women's  baskets. 

So  two  by  two  the  children  of  the  first  couple  left 
the  land  of  their  birth.  In  the  place  where  each  set- 
tled a  new  people  developed,  and  thus  it  came  about 
that  all  the  tribes  in  the  world  received  their  names 
from  things  that  the  people  carried  out  of  Cibolan, 
or  from  the  places  where  they  settled. 

All  the  children  left  Mt.  Apo  save  two  (a  boy  and 
a  girl),  whom  hunger  and  thirst  had  made  too  weak 
to  travel.  One  day  when  they  were  about  to  die  the 
boy  crawled  out  to  the  field  to  see  if  there  was  one 
living  thing,  and  to  his  surprise  he  found  a  stalk  of 
sugar-cane  growing  lustily.  He  eagerly  cut  it,  and 
enough  water  came  out  to  refresh  him  and  his  sister 
until  the  rains  came.  Because  of  this,  their  children 
are  called  Bagobo.1 


is  a  good  example  of  the  way  in  which  people  at  a  certain 
stage  try  to  account  for  their  surroundings.  Nearly  all  consider  them- 
selves the  original  people.  We  find  the  Bagobo  no  exception  to  this. 
In  this  tale,  which  is  evidently  very  old,  they  account  for  themselves 
and  their  neighbors,  and  then,  to  meet  present  needs,  they  adapt  the 
story  to  include  the  white  people  whom  they  have  known  for  not  more 
than  two  hundred  years. 


[134] 


LUMABET 

Bagobo  (Mindanao) 

SOON  after  people  were  created  on  the  earth,  there 
was  born  a  child  named  Lumabet,  who  lived  to  be 
a  very,  very  old  man.  He  could  talk  when  he  was 
but  one  day  old,  and  all  his  life  he  did  wonderful 
things  until  the  people  came  to  believe  that  he  had 
been  sent  by  Manama,  the  Great  Spirit. 

When  Lumabet  was  still  a  young  man  he  had  a 
fine  dog,  and  he  enjoyed  nothing  so  much  as  taking 
him  to  the  mountains  to  hunt.  One  day  the  dog  no- 
ticed a  white  deer.  Lumabet  and  his  companions 
started  in  pursuit,  but  the  deer  was  very  swift  and 
they  could  not  catch  it.  On  and  on  they  went  until 
they  had  gone  around  the  world,  and  still  the  deer 
was  ahead.  One  by  one  his  companions  dropped  out 
of  the  chase,  but  Lumabet  would  not  give  up  until  he 
had  the  deer. 

All  the  time  he  had  but  one  banana  and  one  camote 
(sweet  potato)  for  food,  but  each  night  he  planted 
the  skins  of  these,  and  in  the  morning  he  found  a 
banana  tree  with  ripe  fruit  and  a  sweet  potato  large 
enough  to  eat.  So  he  kept  on  until  he  had  been  around 
the  world  nine  times,  and  he  was  an  old  man  and  his 
hair  was  gray.  At  last  he  caught  the  deer,  and  then 

[135] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

he  called  all  the  people  to  a  great  feast,  to  sec  the 
animal. 

While  all  were  making  merry,  Lumabet  told  them 
to  take  a  knife  and  kill  his  father.  They  were  greatly 
surprised,  but  did  as  he  commanded,  and  when  the 
old  man  was  dead,  Lumabet  waved  his  headband  over 
him  and  he  came  to  life  again.  Eight  times  they  killed 
the  old  man  at  Lumabet's  command,  and  the  eighth 
time  he  was  small  like  a  little  boy,  for  each  time  they 
had  cut  off  some  of  his  flesh.  They  all  wondered  very 
much  at  Lumabet's  power,  and  they  were  certain  that 
he  was  a  god. 

One  morning  some  spirits  came  to  talk  with  Luma- 
bet, and  after  they  had  gone  he  called  the  people  to 
come  into  his  house. 

"We  cannot  all  come  in,"  said  the  people,  "for  your 
house  is  small  and  we  are  many." 

"There  is  plenty  of  room,"  said  he;  so  all  went 
in  and  to  their  surprise  it  did  not  seem  crowded. 

Then  he  told  the  people  that  he  was  going  on  a 
long  journey  and  that  all  who  believed  he  had  great 
power  could  go  with  him,  while  all  who  remained 
behind  would  be  changed  into  animals  and  buso.1  He 
started  out,  many  following  him,  and  it  was  as  he  said. 


1These  are  evil  spirits  who  have  power  to  injure  people.  They  are 
ugly  to  look  at  and  go  about  eating  anything,  even  dead  persons.  A 
young  Bagobo  described  his  idea  of  a  buso  as  follows:  "He  has  a  long 
body,  long  feet  and  neck,  curly  hair,  and  black  face,  flat  nose,  and  one 
big  red  or  yellow  eye.  He  has  big  feet  and  fingers,  but  small  arms, 
and  his  two  big  teeth  are  long  and  pointed.  Like  a  dog,  he  goes 
about  eating  anything,  even  dead  persons."  Cole,  Wild  Tribes  of 
Davao  District,  Field  Museum  Nat.  Hist,  Vol.  XII,  No.  2,  p.  107. 

[136] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

For  those  that  refused  to  go  were  immediately  changed 
into  animals  and  buso. 

He  led  the  people  far  away  across  the  ocean  to  a 
place  where  the  earth  and  the  sky  meet.  When  they 
arrived  they  saw  that  the  sky  moved  up  and  down  like 
a  man  opening  and  closing  his  jaws. 

"Sky,  you  must  go  up,"  commanded  Lumabet. 

But  the  sky  would  not  obey.  So  the  people  could 
not  go  through.  Finally  Lumabet  promised  the  sky 
that  if  he  would  let  all  the  others  through,  he  might 
have  the  last  man  who  tried  to  pass.  Agreeing  to 
this,  the  sky  opened  and  the  people  entered.  But  when 
near  the  last  the  sky  shut  down  so  suddenly  that  he 
caught  not  only  the  last  man  but  also  the  long  knife 
of  the  man  before. 

On  that  same  day,  Lumabet' s  son,  who  was  hunting, 
did  not  know  that  his  father  had  gone  to  the  sky. 
When  he  was  tired  of  the  chase,  he  wanted  to  go  to 
his  father,  so  he  leaned  an  arrow  against  a  baliti  tree 
and  sat  down  on  it.  Slowly  it  began  to  go  down  and 
carried  him  to  his  father's  place,  but  when  he  arrived 
he  could  find  no  people.  He  looked  here  and  there 
and  could  find  nothing  but  a  gun  made  of  gold.1  This 
made  him  very  sorrowful  and  he  did  not  know  what 
to  do  until  some  white  bees  which  were  in  the  house 
said  to  him: 

"You  must  not  weep,  for  we  can  take  you  to  the 
sky  where  your  father  is." 


1This  is  evidently  an  old  tale  in  which  the  story-teller  introduce* 
modern  ideas. 


[137] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

So  he  did  as  they  bade,  and  rode  on  the  gun,  and 
the  bees  flew  away  with  him,  until  in  three  days  they 
reached  the  sky. 

Now,  although  most  of  the  men  who  followed  Luma- 
bet  were  content  to  live  in  the  sky,  there  was  one  who 
was  very  unhappy,  and  all  the  time  he  kept  looking 
down  on  the  land  below.  The  spirits  made  fun  of 
him  and  wanted  to  take  out  his  intestines  so  that  he 
would  be  like  them  and  never  die,  but  he  was  afraid 
and  always  begged  to  be  allowed  to  go  back  home. 

Finally  Manama  told  the  spirits  to  allow  him  to 
go,  so  they  made  a  chain  of  the  leaves  of  the  karan 
grass  and  tied  it  to  his  legs.  Then  they  let  him  down 
slowly  head  first,  and  when  he  reached  the  ground  he 
was  no  longer  a  man  but  an  owl.1 


1Here,   as  is  often  the  case,  an  origin  story  has  been  added  to  a 
tale  with  which  it  has  no  logical  connection. 


[138] 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CREATION1 

Ella  an  (Mindanao) 

FN  the  very  beginning  there  lived  a  being  so  large 
•*•  that  he  can  not  be  compared  with  any  known  thing. 
His  name  was  Melu,2  and  when  he  sat  on  the  clouds, 
which  were  his  home,  he  occupied  all  the  space  above. 
His  teeth  were  pure  gold,  and  because  he  was  very 
cleanly  and  continually  rubbed  himself  with  his  hands, 
his  skin  became  pure  white.  The  dead  skin  which  he 
rubbed  0$  his  body3  was  placed  on  one  side  in  a  pile, 
and  by  and  by  this  pile  became  so  large  that  he  was 
annoyed  and  set  himself  to  consider  what  he  could  do 
with  it. 

Finally  Melu  decided  to  make  the  earth;  so  he 
worked  very  hard  in  putting  the  dead  skin  into  shape, 
and  when  it  was  finished  he  was  so  pleased  with  it  that 
he  determined  to  make  two  beings  like  himself,  though 
smaller,  to  live  on  it. 

Taking   the    remnants   of   the    material   left   after 


1This  story  is  well  known  among  the  Bilaan,  who  are  one  of  the 
tribes  least  influenced  by  the  Spaniards,  and  yet  it  bears  so  many 
incidents  similar  to  biblical  accounts  that  there  is  a  strong  suggestion 
of  Christian  influence.  It  is  possible  that  these  ideas  came  through 
the  Mohammedan  Moro. 

2The  most  powerful  of  the  spirits  and  the  one  to  whom  the  people 
resort  in  times  of  danger. 

3A  similar  story  is  found  in  British  North  Borneo.  See  Evans, 
Journal  of  Royal  Anthropological  Institute,  1913,  p.  423. 

[139] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

making  the  earth  he  fashioned  two  men,  but  just  as 
they  were  all  finished  except  their  noses,  Tau  Tana 
from  below  the  earth  appeared  and  wanted  to  help 
him. 

Melu  did  not  wish  any  assistance,  and  a  great  argu- 
ment ensued.  Tau  Tana  finally  won  his  point  and 
made  the  noses  which  he  placed  on  the  people  upside 
down.  When  all  was  finished,  Melu  and  Tau  Tana 
whipped  the  forms  until  they  moved.  Then  Melu 
went  to  his  home  above  the  clouds,  and  Tau  Tana 
returned  to  his  place  below  the  earth. 

All  went  well  until  one  day  a  great  rain  came,  and 
the  people  on  the  earth  nearly  drowned  from  the  water 
which  ran  off  their  heads  into  their  noses.  Melu,  from 
his  place  on  the  clouds,  saw  their  danger,  and  he  came 
quickly  to  earth  and  saved  their  lives  by  turning  their 
noses  the  other  side  up. 

The  people  were  very  grateful  to  him,  and  prom- 
ised to  do  anything  he  should  ask  of  them.  Before 
he  left  for  the  sky,  they  told  him  that  they  were  very 
unhappy  living  on  the  great  earth  all  alone,  so  he  told 
them  to  save  all  the  hair  from  their  heads  and  the  dry 
skin  from  their  bodies  and  the  next  time  he  came  he 
would  make  them  some  companions.  And  in  this  way 
there  came  to  be  a  great  many  people  on  the  earth. 


I 


IN  THE  BEGINNING 

Eilaan  (Mindanao) 

N  the  beginning  there  were  four  beings,1  and  they 

lived  on  an  island  no  larger  than  a  hat.  On  this 
island  there  were  no  trees  or  grass  or  any  other  living 
thing  besides  these  four  people  and  one  bird.2  One 
day  they  sent  this  bird  out  across  the  waters  to  see 
what  he  could  find,  and  when  he  returned  he  brought 
some  earth,  a  piece  of  rattan,  and  some  fruit. 

Melu,  the  greatest  of  the  four,  took  the  soil  and 
shaped  it  and  beat  it  with  a  paddle  in  the  same  manner 
in  which  a  woman  shapes  pots  of  clay,  and  when  he 
finished  he  had  made  the  earth.  Then  he  planted  the 
seeds  from  the  fruit,  and  they  grew  until  there  was 
much  rattan  and  many  trees  bearing  fruit. 

The  four  beings  watched  the  growth  for  a  long 
time  and  were  well  pleased  with  the  work,  but  finally 
Melu  said: 

"Of  what  use  is  this  earth  and  all  the  rattan  and 
fruit  if  there  are  no  people  ?" 

And  the  others  replied,  "Let  us  make  some  people 
out  of  wax." 

So  they  took  some  wax  and  worked  long,  fashion- 
ing it  into  forms,  but  when  they  brought  them  to  the 


1Melu,  Fiuweigh,  Diwata,  and  Saweigh. 
2Buswit. 


[HI] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

fire  the  wax  melted,  and  they  saw  that  men  could  not 
be  made  in  that  way. 

Next  they  decided  to  try  to  use  dirt  in  making  people, 
and  Melu  and  one  of  his  companions  began  working 
on  that.  All  went  well  till  they  were  ready  to  make 
the  noses.  The  companion,  who  was  working  on  that 
part,  put  them  on  upside  down.  Melu  told  him  that 
the  people  would  drown  if  he  left  them  that  way,  but 
he  refused  to  change  them. 

When  his  back  was  turned,  however,  Melu  seized 
the  noses,  one  by  one,  and  turned  them  as  they  now 
are.  But  he  was  in  such  a  hurry  that  he  pressed  his 
finger  at  the  root,  and  it  left  a  mark  in  the  soft  clay 
which  you  can  still  see  on  the  faces  of  people. 


I 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  THE  LIMOKON1 

Mandaya  (Mindanao) 

N  the  very  early  days  before  there  were  any  people 
on  the  earth,  the  limokon  (a  kind  of  dove)2  were 
very  powerful  and  could  talk  like  men  though  they 
looked  like  birds.  One  limokon  laid  two  eggs,  one  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Mayo  River  and  one  farther  up  its 
course.  After  some  time  these  eggs  hatched,  and  the 
one  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  became  ajnan,  while  the 
other  became  a  woman. 

The  man  lived  alone  on  the  bank  of  the  river  for  a 
long  time,  but  he  was  very  lonely  and  wished  many 
times  for  a  companion.  One  day  when  he  was  cross- 
ing the  river  something  was  swept  against  his  legs  with 
such  force  that  it  nearly  caused  him  to  drown.  On 
examining  it,  he  found  that  it  was  a  hair,  and  he 
determined  to  go  up  the  river  and  find  whence  it 
came.  He  traveled  up  the  stream,  looking  on  both 
banks,  until  finally  he  found  the  woman,  and  he  was 


JAn  origin  story  of  a  very  different  type  from  those  of  the  Bukidnon 
and  Bagobo.  While  the  others  show  foreign  influence,  this  appears  to 
be  typically  primitive. 

2The  omen  bird  of  the  Mandaya.  It  is  believed  to  be  a  messenger 
from  the  spirit  world  which,  by  its  calls,  warns  the  people  of  danger 
or  promises  them  success.  If  the  coo  of  this  bird  comes  from  the 
right  side,  it  is  a  good  sign,  but  if  it  is  on  the  left,  in  back,  or  in 
front,  it  is  a  bad  sign,  and  the  Mandaya  knows  that  he  must  change 
his  plans. 

[143] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

very  happy  to  think  that  at  last  he  could  have  a 
companion. 

They  were  married  and  had  many  children,  who 
are  the  Mandaya  still  living  along  the  Mayo  River. 


THE  SUN  AND  THE  MOON 

Mandaya  (Mindanao) 

THE  Sun  and  the  Moon  were  married,  but  the  Sun 
was  very  ugly  and  quarrelsome.  One  day  he 
became  angry  at  the  Moon  and  started  to  chase  her. 
She  ran  very  fast  until  she  was  some  distance  ahead 
of  him,  when  she  grew  tired  and  he  almost  caught 
her.  Ever  since  he  has  been  chasing  her,  at  times 
almost  reaching  her,  and  again  falling  far  behind. 

The  first  child  of  the  Sun  and  Moon  was  a  large 
star,  and  he  was  like  a  man.  One  time  the  Sun,  be- 
coming angry  at  the  star,  cut  him  up  into  small  pieces 
and  scattered  him  over  the  whole  sky  just  as  a  woman 
scatters  rice,  and  ever  since  there  have  been  many 
stars. 

Another  child  of  the  Sun  and  Moon  was  a  gigantic 
crab.1  He  still  lives  and  is  so  powerful  that  every 
time  he  opens  and  closes  his  eyes  there  is  a  flash  of 
lightning.  Most  of  the  time  the  crab  lives  in  a  large 
hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  when  he  is  there  we 
have  high  tide ;  but  when  he  leaves  the  hole,  the  waters 
rush  in  and  there  is  low  tide.  His  moving  about  also 
causes  great  waves  on  the  surface  of  the  sea. 

The  crab  is  quarrelsome  like  his  father;  a,nd  he 
sometimes  becomes  so  angry  with  his  mother,  the 


1Thc  crab  was  called  Tambanokano. 

[145] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Moon,  that  he  tries  to  swallow  her.1  When  the  people 
on  earth,  who  are  fond  of  the  Moon,  see  the  crab 
near  her,  they  run  out  of  doors  and  shout  and  beat 
on  gongs  until  he  is  frightened  away,  and  thus  the 
Moon  is  saved. 


*An  eclipse  of  the  moon.  This  belief  in  a  monster  swallowing  the 
moon  and  the  wild  efforts  to  frighten  it  away  are  very  widespread. 
It  is  found  among  the  Batak  of  Palawan  and  in  other  parts  of 
Malaysia  as  well  as  in  the  South  Sea,  Mongol,  Chinese,  Siamese,  and 
Hindoo  mythology.  Even  in  Peru  we  find  the  belief  that  an  evil  spirit 
in  the  form  of  a  beast  was  eating  the  moon,  and  that  in  order  to  scare 
it  the  people  shouted  and  yelled  and  beat  their  dogs  to  make  them 
add  to  the  noise.  See  Karlson,  Journal  of  Religious  Psychology, 
November,  1914,  p.  164. 


[i46] 


I 


THE  WIDOW'S  SON1 

Subanun  (Mindanao) 

N  a  little  house  at  the  edge  of  a  village  lived  a  widow 
with  her  only  son,  and  they  were  very  happy  to- 
gether. The  son  was  kind  to  his  mother,  and  they 
made  their  living  by  growing  rice  in  clearings  on  the 
mountain  side  and  by  hunting  wild  pig  in  the  forest. 

One  evening  when  their  supply  of  meat  was  low, 
the  boy  said: 

"Mother,  I  am  going  to  hunt  pig  in  the  morning, 
and  I  wish  you  would  prepare  rice  for  me  before  day- 
light." 

So  the  widow  rose  early  and  cooked  the  rice,  and 
at  dawn  the  boy  started  out  with  his  spear  and  dog. 

Some  distance  from  the  village,  he  entered  the  thick 
forest.  He  walked  on  and  on,  ever  on  the  lookout 
for  game,  but  none  appeared.  At  last  when  he  had 
traveled  far  and  the  sun  was  hot,  he  sat  down  on  a 
rock  to  rest  and  took  out  his  brass  box2  to  get  a  piece 
of  betel-nut.  He  prepared  the  nut  and  leaf  for  chew- 
ing, and  as  he  did  so  he  wondered  why  it  was  that  he 
had  been  so  unsuccessful  that  day.  But  even  as  he 
pondered  he  heard  his  dog  barking  sharply,  and  cram- 


1First  recorded  by  Emerson  B.  Christie. 

2A  brass  box  having  three  compartments,  one  for  lime,  one  for  the 
nut,  and  another  for  the  betel-leaf,  which  is  used  in  preparing  the  nut 
for  chewing. 

[147] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

ming  the  betel-nut  into  his  mouth  he  leaped  up  and 
ran  toward  the  dog. 

As  he  drew  near  he  could  see  that  the  game  was  a 
fine  large  pig,  all  black  save  its  four  legs  which  were 
white.  He  lifted  his  spear  and  took  aim,  but  before 
he  could  throw  the  pig  started  to  run,  and  instead  of 
going  toward  a  water  course  it  ran  straight  up  the 
mountain.  The  boy  went  on  in  hot  pursuit,  and  when 
the  pig  paused  he  again  took  aim,  but  before  he  could 
throw  it  ran  on. 

Six  times  the  pig  stopped  just  long  enough  for  the 
boy  to  take  aim,  and  then  started  on  before  he  could 
throw.  The  seventh  time,  however,  it  halted  on  the 
top  of  a  large  flat  rock  and  the  boy  succeeded  in 
killing  it. 

He  tied  its  legs  together  with  a  piece  of  rattan  and 
was  about  to  start  for  home  with  the  pig  on  his  back, 
when  to  his  surprise  a  door  in  the  large  stone  swung 
open  and  a  man  stepped  out. 

"Why  have  you  killed  my  master's  pig?"  asked  the 
man. 

"I  did  not  know  that  this  pig  belonged  to  anyone, " 
replied  the  widow's  son.  "I  was  hunting,  as  I  often 
do,  and  when  my  dog  found  the  pig  I  helped  him  to 
catch  it." 

"Come  in  and  see  my  master,"  said  the  man,  and 
the  boy  followed  him  into  the  stone  where  he  found 
himself  in  a  large  room.  The  ceiling  and  floor  were 
covered  with  peculiar  cloth  that  had  seven  wide  stripes 
of  red  alternating  with  a  like  number  of  yellow  stripes. 
When  the  master  of  the  place  appeared  his  trousers 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

were  of  seven  colors,1  as  were  also  his  jacket  and  the 
kerchief  about  his  head. 

The  master  ordered  betel-nut,  and  when  it  was 
brought  they  chewed  together.  Then  he  called  for 
wine,  and  it  was  brought  in  a  jar  so  large  that  it  had 
to  be  set  on  the  ground  under  the  house,  and  even 
then  the  top  came  so  high  above  the  floor  that  they 
brought  a  seat  for  the  widow's  son,  ajid  it  raised  him 
just  high  enough  to  drink  from  the  reed  in  the  top  of 
the  jar.  He  drank  seven  cups  of  wine,  and  then  they 
ate  rice  and  fish  and  talked  together. 

The  master  did  not  blame  the  boy  for  killing  the 
pig,  and  declared  that  he  wished  to  make  a  brother  of 
him.  So  they  became  friends,  and  the  boy  remained 
seven  days  in  the  stone.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  he 
said  that  he  must  return  to  his  mother  who  would  be 
worried  about  him.  In  the  early  morning  he  left  the 
strange  house  and  started  for  home. 

At  first  he  walked  briskly,  but  as  the  morning  wore 
on  he  went  more  slowly,  and  finally  when  the  sun  was 
high  he  sat  down  on  a  rock  to  rest.  Suddenly  looking 
up,  he  saw  before  him  seven  men  each  armed  with  a 
spear,  a  shield,  and  a  sword.  They  were  dressed  in 
different  colors,  and  each  man  had  eyes  the  same  color 
as  his  clothes.  The  leader,  who  was  dressed  all  in 


1The  Subanun  have  adopted  the  Moro  dress,  which  consists  of  long 
trousers  and  a  coat.  The  tale  shows  strong  Moro  influence  through- 
out. Seven  is  a  mystic  and  magical  number  among  the  Malay.  It  is 
constantly  used  in  divination  and  magical  practices  and  repeatedly 
occurs  in  their  folk-lore.  Skeat  explains  its  importance  by  referring 
to  the  seven  souls  which  each  mortal  is  supposed  to  possess.  See  Skeat, 
Malay  Magic,  p.  50. 

[149] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

red  with  red  eyes  to  match,  spoke  first,  asking  the  boy 
where  he  was  going.  The  boy  replied  that  he  was 
going  home  to  his  mother  who  would  be  looking  for 
him,  and  added: 

"Now  I  ask  where  you  are  going,  all  armed  ready 
for  war." 

"We  are  warriors,"  replied  the  man  in  red.  "And 
we  go  up  and  down  the  world  killing  whatever  we  see 
that  has  life.  Now  that  we  have  met  you,  we  must 
kill  you  also." 

The  boy,  startled  by  this  strange  speech,  was  about 
to  answer  when  he  heard  a  voice  near  him  say: 
"Fight,  for  they  will  try  to  kill  you,"  and  upon  looking 
up  he  saw  his  spear,  shield,  and  sword  which  he  had 
left  at  home.  Then  he  knew  that  the  command  came 
from  a  spirit,  so  he  took  his  weapons  and  began  to 
fight.  For  three  days  and  nights  they  contended,  and 
never  before  had  the  seven  seen  one  man  so  brave. 
On  the  fourth  day  the  leader  was  wounded  and  fell 
dead,  and  then,  one  by  one,  the  other  six  fell. 

When  they  were  all  killed,  the  widow's  son  was  so 
crazed  with  fighting  that  he  thought  no  longer  of  re- 
turning home,  but  started  out  to  find  more  to  slay. 

In  his  wanderings  he  came  to  the  home  of  a  great 
giant  whose  house  was  already  full  of  the  men  he  had 
conquered  in  battle,  and  he  called  up  from  outside: 

"Is  the  master  of  the  house  at  home?  If  he  is,  let 
him  come  out  and  fight." 

This  threw  the  giant  into  a  rage,  and  seizing  his 
shield  and  his  spear,  the  shaft  of  which  was  the  trunk 
of  a  tree,  he  sprang  to  the  door  and  leaped  to  the 

[150] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

ground,  not  waiting  to  go  down  the  notched  pole  which 
served  for  steps.  He  looked  around  for  his  antago- 
nist, and  seeing  only  the  widow's  son  he  roared: 

"Where  is  the  man  that  wants  to  fight?  That 
thing?  It  is  only  a  fly!" 

The  boy  did  not  stop  to  answer,  but  rushed  at  the 
giant  with  his  knife;  and  for  three  days  and  nights 
they  struggled,  till  the  giant  fell,  wounded  at  the 
waist. 

After  that  the  widow's  son  stopped  only  long  enough 
to  burn  the  giant's  house,  and  then  rushed  on  looking 
for  someone  else  to  slay.  Suddenly  he  again  heard 
the  voice  which  had  bade  him  fight  with  the  seven 
men,  and  this  time  it  said:  "Go  home  now,  for  your 
mother  is  grieved  at  your  absence."  In  a  rage  he  sprang 
forward  with  his  sword,  though  he  could  see  no  enemy. 
Then  the  spirit  which  had  spoken  to  him  made  him 
sleep  for  a  short  time.  When  he  awoke  the  rage  was 
spent. 

Again  the  spirit  appeared,  and  it  said:  "The  seven 
men  whom  you  killed  were  sent  to  kill  you  by  the 
spirit  of  the  great  stone,  for  he  looked  in  your  hand 
and  saw  that  you  were  to  marry  the  orphan  girl  whom 
he  himself  wished  to  wed.  But  you  have  conquered. 
Your  enemies  are  dead.  Go  home  now  and  prepare  a 
great  quantity  of  wine,  for  I  shall  bring  your  enemies 
to  life  again,  and  you  will  all  live  in  peace." 

So  the  widow's  son  went  home,  and  his  mother,  who 
had  believed  him  dead,  was  filled  with  joy  at  his  coming, 
and  all  the  people  in  the  town  came  out  to  welcome 
him.  When  he  had  told  them  his  story,  they  hastened 

[150 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

to  get  wine,  and  all  day  they  bore  jarsful  to  the  widow's 
house. 

That  night  there  was  a  great  feast,  and  the  spirit  of 
the  great  stone,  his  seven  warriors,  the  friendly  spirit, 
and  the  giant  all  came.  The  widow's  son  married  the 
orphan  girl,  while  another  beautiful  woman  became 
the  wife  of  the  spirit  of  the  stone. 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Moro 


INTRODUCTION 

ABOUT  the  year  1400  something  happened  which 
changed  the  beliefs  and  customs  of  many  of  the 
tribes  of  the  southern  Philippines  and  made  of  them 
a  powerful  and  dreaded  people. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Arabian  traders  and  mis- 
sionaries began  to  establish  themselves  in  the  Islands, 
and  soon  these  were  followed  by  hordes  of  Moham- 
medan converts  from  the  islands  to  the  south.  Among 
the  newcomers  were  men  who  became  powerful  rulers, 
and  they,  in  time,  brought  together  many  of  the  settle- 
ments which  formerly  had  been  hostile  to  each  other 
and  united  them  under  the  faith  of  Islam.  Those  who 
accepted  the  new  faith  adopted  the  dress  and  many  of 
the  customs  of  their  teachers  and  came  to  be  known 
as  Moro. 

With  the  possession  of  firearms,  which  were  intro- 
duced by  the  newcomers,  the  Moro  grew  very  daring 
and  were  greatly  feared  by  the  other  natives.  And 
soon  they  began  to  make  long  trips  on  the  sea  to  the 
north  and  south,  carrying  on  trade  and  making  many 
surprise  attacks  for  loot  and  slaves. 

At  the  time  the  Spaniards  discovered  the  Philip- 
pines, the  Moro  were  a  terror  to  the  other  inhabitants, 
and  they  continued  to  be  so  until  very  recent  years. 
They  became  ferocious  pirates  infesting  the  southern 
seas  and  preying  upon  the  rich  teade  which  the  Span- 

[155] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

iards  carried  on  with  Mexico.  Stone  walls  and  watch 
towers  were  built  at  advantageous  points  to  guard 
against  them,  but  bays  and  creeks  which  afforded  op- 
portunities for  lurking,  surprise,  and  attack  continued 
to  be  frequented  by  the  treacherous  warriors. 

Since  American  occupation  the  waters  have  been 
made  practically  free  from  their  ravages,  but  on  land 
they  have  continued  to  give  trouble.  The  greater  part 
of  the  Moro  now  live  in  the  Sulu  Archipelago  and  on 
the  Island  of  Mindanao.  They  range  in  degree  of 
civilization  from  sea  "gypsies,"  who  wander  from  place 
to  place,  living  for  months  in  their  rude  outrigger  boats, 
to  settled  communities  which  live  by  fishing  and  farm- 
ing, and  even  by  manufacturing  some  cloth,  brass,  and 
steel.  Their  villages  are  near  the  coast,  along  rivers, 
or  about  the  shores  of  the  interior  lakes,  the  houses 
being  raised  high  on  poles  near  or  over  the  water,  for 
they  live  largely  on  food  from  the  sea. 

Their  folk-lore,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following 
tales,  shows  decided  influence  from  Arabia  and  India, 
which  has  filtered  in  through  the  islands  to  the  south.1 


1No  tales  illustrate  to  better  advantage  the  persistence  of  old  stories 
and  beliefs  than  do  these  of  the  Moro.  They  are  permeated  with  in- 
cidents very  similar  to  those  still  found  among  the  pagan  tribes  of  the 
Archipelago,  while  associated  with  these  are  the  spirits  and  demons  of 
Hindu  mythology.  Finally  we  find  the  semi-historical  events  recorded 
by  the  Mohammedanized  Malay,  the  ancestors  of  the  tellers  of  the 
tales. 


[156] 


MYTHOLOGY  OF  MINDANAO1 

Moro 

ALONG,  long  time  ago  Mindanao  was  covered 
with  water,  and  the  sea  extended  over  all  the 
lowlands  so  that  nothing  could  be  seen  but  mountains. 
Then  there  were  many  people  living  in  the  country, 
and  all  the  highlands  were  dotted  with  villages  and 
settlements.  For  many  years  the  people  prospered, 
living  in  peace  and  contentment.  Suddenly  there  ap- 
peared in  the  land  four  horrible  monsters  which,  in  a 
short  time,  had  devoured  every  human  being  they  could 
find. 

Kurita,  a  terrible  creature  with  many  limbs,  lived 
partly  on  land  and  partly  in  the  sea,  but  its  favorite 
haunt  was  the  mountain  where  the  rattan  grew;  and 
here  it  brought  utter  destruction  on  every  living  thing. 
The  second  monster,  Tarabusaw,  an  ugly  creature  in 
the  form  of  a  man,  lived  on  Mt.  Matutun,  and  far 
and  wide  from  that  place  he  devoured  the  people, 
laying  waste  the  land.  The  third,  an  enormous  bird 
called  Pah,2  was  so  large  that  when  on  the  wing  it 
covered  the  sun  and  brought  darkness  to  the  earth. 
Its  egg  was  as  large  as  a  house.  Mt.  Bita  was  its  haunt, 


'First  recorded  by  N.  M.  Saleeby. 

2These  great  birds  are  doubtless  derived  from  Indian  literature  in 
which  the  fabulous  bird  garuda  played  such  an  important  part. 

[157] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

and  there  the  only  people  who  escaped  its  voracity  were 
those  who  hid  in  caves  in  the  mountains.  The  fourth 
monster  was  a  dreadful  bird  also,  having  seven  heads 
and  the  power  to  see  in  all  directions  at  the  same  time. 
Mt.  Gurayn  was  its  home  and  like  the  others  it 
wrought  havoc  in  its  region. 

So  great  was  the  death  and  destruction  caused  by 
these  terrible  animals  that  at  length  the  news  spread 
even  to  the  most  distant  lands,  and  all  nations  were 
grieved  to  hear  of  the  sad  fate  of  Mindanao. 

Now  far  across  the  sea  in  the  land  of  the  golden 
sunset  was  a  city  so  great  that  to  look  at  its  many 
people  would  injure  the  eyes  of  man.  When  tidings 
of  these  great  disasters  reached  this  distant  city,  the 
heart  of  the  king  Indarapatra1  was  filled  with  com- 
passion, and  he  called  his  brother,  Sulayman,2  begging 
him  to  save  the  land  of  Mindanao  from  the  monsters. 

Sulayman  listened  to  the  story,  and  as  he  heard  he 
was  moved  with  pity. 

"I  will  go,"  said  he,  zeal  and  enthusiasm  adding  to 
his  strength,  "and  the  land  shall  be  avenged." 

King  Indarapatra,  proud  of  his  brother's  courage, 
gave  him  a  ring  and  a  sword  as  he  wished  him  success 
and  safety.  Then  he  placed  a  young  sapling  by  his 
window3  and  said  to  Sulayman: 

uBy  this  tree  I  shall  know  your  fate  from  the  time 


JA  common  name  in  Malay  and  Sumatran  tales. 

2Probably  Solomon  of  the  Old  Testament,  who  is  a  great  historic 
figure  among  the  Malay  and  who  plays  an  important  part  in  their 
romances. 

'See  note  i,  p.  28. 


[158] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

you  depart  from  here,  for  if  you  live,  it  will  live;  but 
if  you  die,  it  will  die  also." 

So  Sulayman  departed  for  Mindanao,  and  he  neither 
walked  nor  used  a  boat,  but  he  went  through  the  air 
and  landed  on  the  mountain  where  the  rattan  grew. 
There  he  stood  on  the  summit  and  gazed  about  on 
all  sides.  He  looked  on  the  land  and  the  villages, 
but  he  could  see  no  living  thing.  And  he  was  very 
sorrowful  and  cried  out: 

"Alas,  how  pitiful  and  dreadful  is  this  devastation !" 

No  sooner  had  Sulayman  uttered  these  words  than 
the  whole  mountain  began  to  move,  and  then  shook. 
Suddenly  out  of  the  ground  came  the  horrible  creature, 
Kurita.  It  sprang  at  the  man  and  sank  its  claws  into 
his  flesh.  But  Sulayman,  knowing  at  once  that  this 
was  the  scourge  of  the  land,  drew  his  sword  and  cut 
the  Kurita  to  pieces. 

Encouraged  by  his  first  success,  Sulayman  went  on 
to  Mt.  Matutun  where  conditions  were  even  worse. 
As  he  stood  on  the  heights  viewing  the  great  devasta- 
tion there  was  a  noise  in  the  forest  and  a  movement 
in  the  trees.  With  a  loud  yell,  forth  leaped  Tara- 
busaw.  For  a  moment  they  looked  at  each  other, 
neither  showing  any  fear.  Then  Tarabusaw  threat- 
ened to  devour  the  man,  and  Sulayman  declared  that 
he  would  kill  the  monster.  At  that  the  animal  broke 
large  branches  off  the  trees  and  began  striking  at  Sulay- 
man who,  in  turn,  fought  back.  For  a  long  time  the 
battle  continued  until  at  last  the  monster  fell  exhausted 
to  the  ground  and  then  Sulayman  killed  him  with  his 
sword. 

[159] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

The  next  place  visited  by  Sulayman  was  Mt.  Bita. 
Here  havoc  was  present  everywhere,  and  though  he 
passed  by  many  homes,  not  a  single  soul  was  left.  As 
he  walked  along,  growing  sadder  at  each  moment,  a 
sudden  darkness  which  startled  him  fell  over  the  land. 
As  he  looked  toward  the  sky  he  beheld  a  great  bird 
descending  upon  him.  Immediately  he  struck  at  it, 
cutting  off  its  wing  with  his  sword,  and  the  bird  fell 
dead  at  his  feet;  but  the  wing  fell  on  Sulayman,  and 
he  was  crushed. 

Now  at  this  very  time  King  Indarapatra  was  sitting 
at  his  window,  and  looking  out  he  saw  the  little  tree 
wither  and  dry  up. 

uAlas !"  he  cried,  "my  brother  is  dead" ;  and  he  wept 
bitterly. 

Then  although  he  was  very  sad,  he  was  filled  with 
a  desire  for  revenge,  and  putting  on  his  sword  and 
belt  he  started  for  Mindanao  in  search  of  his  brother. 

He,  too,  traveled  through  the  air  with  great  speed 
until  he  came  to  the  mountain  where  the  rattan  grew. 
There  he  looked  about,  awed  at  the  great  destruction, 
and  when  he  saw  the  bones  of  Kurita  he  knew  that 
his  brother  had  been  there  and  gone.  He  went  on 
till  he  came  to  Matutun,  and  when  he  saw  the  bones 
of  Tarabusaw  he  knew  that  this,  too,  was  the  work  of 
Sulayman. 

Still  searching  for  his  brother,  he  arrived  at  Mt. 
Bita  where  the  dead  bird  lay  on  the  ground,  and  as 
he  lifted  the  severed  wing  he  beheld  the  bones  of  Sulay- 
man with  his  sword  by  his  side.  His  grief  now  so 
overwhelmed  Indarapatra  that  he  wept  for  some  time. 

[160] 


A  NET  MAKER 


BRINGING  WATER  FROM  THE  STREAM 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Upon  looking  up  he  beheld  a  small  jar  of  water  by  his 
side.  ,This  he  knew  had  been  sent  from  heaven,  and 
he  poured  the  water  over  the  bones,  and  Sulayman 
came  to  life  again.  They  greeted  each  other  and 
talked  long  together.  Sulayman  declared  that  he  had 
not  been  dead  but  asleep,  and  their  hearts  were  full 
of  joy. 

After  some  time  Sulayman  returned  to  his  distant 
home,  but  Indarapatra  continued  his  journey  to  Mt. 
Gurayn  where  he  killed  the  dreadful  bird  with  the 
seven  heads.  After  these  monsters  had  all  been  de- 
stroyed and  peace  and  safety  had  been  restored  to  the 
land,  Indarapatra  began  searching  everywhere  to  see 
if  some  of  the  people  might  not  be  hidden  in  the  earth 
still  alive. 

One  day  during  his  search  he  caught  sight  of  a  beau- 
tiful woman  at  a  distance.  When  he  hastened  toward 
her  she  disappeared  through  a  hole  in  the  ground  where 
she  was  standing.  Disappointed  and  tired,  he  sat 
down  on  a  rock  to  rest,  when,  looking  about,  he  saw 
near  him  a  pot  of  uncooked  rice  with  a  big  fire  on  the 
ground  in  front  of  it.  This  revived  him  and  he  pro- 
ceeded to  cook  the  rice.  As  he  did  so,  however,  he 
heard  someone  laugh  near  by,  and  turning  he  beheld 
an  old  woman  watching  him.  As  he  greeted  her,  she 
drew  near  and  talked  with  him  while  he  ate  the  rice. 

Of  all  the  people  in  the  land,  the  old  woman  told 
him,  only  a  very  few  were  still  alive,  and  they  hid  in 
a  cave  in  the  ground  from  whence  they  never  ventured. 
As  for  herself  and  her  old  husband,  she  went  on,  they 
had  hidden  in  a  hollow  tree,  and  this  they  had  never 

[16:] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

dared  leave  until  after  Sulayman  killed  the  voracious 
bird,  Pah. 

At  Indarapatra's  earnest  request,  the  old  woman 
led  him  to  the  cave  where  he  found  the  headman  with 
his  family  and  some  of  his  people.  They  all  gathered 
about  the  stranger,  asking  many  questions,  for  this  was 
the  first  they  had  heard  about  the  death  of  the  mon- 
sters. When  they  found  what  Indarapatra  had  done 
for  them,  they  were  filled  with  gratitude,  and  to  show 
their  appreciation  the  headman  gave  his  daughter  to 
him  in  marriage,  and  she  proved  to  be  the  beautiful 
girl  whom  Indarapatra  had  seen  at  the  mouth  of  the 
cave. 

Then  the  people  all  came  out  of  their  hiding-place 
and  returned  to  their  homes  where  they  lived  in  peace 
and  happiness.  And  the  sea  withdrew  from  the  land 
and  gave  the  lowlands  to  the  people. 


THE  STORY  OF  BANTUGAN 

Moro 

T3EFORE  the  Spaniards  occupied  the  island  of  Min- 
"*^  danao,  there  lived  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande 
a  very  strong  man,  Bantugan,  whose  father  was  the 
brother  of  the  earthquake  and  thunder.1 

Now  the  Sultan  of  the  Island2  had  a  beautiful  daugh- 
ter whom  Bantugan  wished  to  marry,  but  the  home 
of  the  Sultan  was  far  off,  and  whoever  went  to  carry 
Bantugan's  proposal  would  have  a  long  and  hazardous 
journey.  All  the  head  men  consulted  together  regard- 
ing who  should  be  sent,  and  at  last  it  was  decided  that 
Bantugan's  own  son,  Balatama,  was  the  one  to  go. 
Balatama  was  young  but  he  was  strong  and  brave,  and 
when  the  arms  of  his  father  were  given  him  to  wear 
on  the  long  journey  his  heart  swelled  with  pride. 
More  than  once  on  the  way,  however,  his  courage  was 
tried,  and  only  the  thought  of  his  brave  father  gave 
him  strength  to  proceed. 

Once  he  came  to  a  wooden  fence  which  surrounded 
a  stone  in  the  form  of  a  man,  and  as  it  was  directly 
in  his  path  he  drew  his  fighting  knife  to  cut  down  the 


aln  this  case  of  a  semi-historic  being,  whose  father  was  said  to  be 
the  brother  of  the  earthquake  and  thunder,  we  have  an  interesting 
blending  of  mythological  and  historical  facts. 

2Among  Malay  people  the  sultan  is  the  supreme  ruler  of  a  district, 
while  petty  rulers  are  known  as  datos. 

[163] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

fence.  Immediately  the  air  became  as  black  as  night 
and  stones  rained  down  as  large  as  houses.  This 
made  Balatama  cry,  but  he  protected  himself  with  his 
father's  shield  and  prayed,  calling  on  the  winds  from 
the  homeland  until  they  came  and  cleared  the  air 
again. 

Thereupon  Balatama  encountered  a  great  snake1  in 
the  road,  and  it  inquired  his  errand.  When  told,  the 
snake  said: 

"You  cannot  go  on,  for  I  am  guard  of  this  road 
and  no  one  can  pass." 

The  animal  made  a  move  to  seize  him,  but  with 
one  stroke  of  his  fighting  knife  the  boy  cut  the  snake 
into  two  pieces,  one  of  which  he  threw  into  the  sea 
and  the  other  into  the  mountains. 

After  many  days  the  weary  lad  came  to  a  high  rock 
in  the  road,  which  glistened  in  the  sunlight.  From 
the  top  he  could  look  down  into  the  city  for  which  he 
was  bound.  It  was  a  splendid  place  with  ten  har- 
bors. Standing  out  from  the  other  houses  was  one 
of  crystal  and  another  of  pure  gold.  Encouraged  by 
this  sight  he  went  on,  but  though  it  seemed  but  a  short 
distance,  it  was  some  time  before  he  at  last  stood  at 
the  gate  of  the  town. 

It  was  not  long  after  this,  however,  before  Bala- 
tama had  made  known  his  errand  to  the  Sultan,  and 
that  monarch,  turning  to  his  courtiers,  said: 

"You,  my  friends,  decide  whether  or  not  I  shall 


1Here,   as   in  the  Tinguian   lore,  we   find   heroes   conversing  with 
animals  and  commanding  the  forces  of  nature  to  come  to  their  aid. 

[164] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

give  the  hand  of  my  daughter  to  Bantugan  in  mar- 
riage." 

The  courtiers  slowly  shook  their  heads  and  began 
to  offer  objections. 

Said  one  ,  "I  do  not  see  how  Bantugan  can  marry 
the  Sultan's  daughter  because  the  first  gift  must  be  a 
figure  of  a  man  or  woman  in  pure  gold." 

"Well,"  said  the  son  of  Bantugan,  "I  am  here  to 
learn  what  you  want  and  to  say  whether  or  not  it  can 
be  given." 

Then  a  second  man  spoke :  "You  must  give  a  great 
yard  with  a  floor  of  gold,  which  must  be  three  feet 
thick." 

"All  this  can  be  given,"  answered  the  boy. 

And  the  sister  of  the  Princess  said:  "The  gifts  must 
be  as  many  as  the  blades  of  grass  in  our  city." 

"It  shall  be  granted,"  said  Balatama. 

"You  must  give  a  bridge  built  of  stone  to  cross  the 
great  river,"  said  one. 

And  another:  "A  ship  of  stone  you  must  give,  and 
you  must  change  into  gold  all  the  cocoamits  and  leaves 
in  the  Sultan's  grove." 

"All  this  can  be  done,"  said  Balatama.  "My  uncles 
will  give  all  save  the  statue  of  gold,  and  that  I  shall 
give  myself.  But  first  I  must  go  to  my  father's  town 
to  secure  it." 

At  this  they  were  angry  and  declared  that  he  had 
made  sport  of  them  and  unless  he  produced  the  statue 
at  once  they  would  kill  him. 

"If  I  give  you  the  statue  now,"  said  he,  "there  will 
come  dreadful  storms,  rain,  and  darkness." 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

But  they  only  laughed  at  him  and  insisted  on  having 
the  statue,  so  he  reached  in  his  helmet  and  drew  it 
forth. 

Immediately  the  earth  began  to  quake.  A  great 
storm  arose,  and  stones  as  large  as  houses  rained  until 
the  Sultan  called  to  Balatama  to  put  back  the  statue 
lest  they  all  be  killed. 

"You  would  not  believe  what  I  told  you,"  said  the 
boy;  "and  now  I  am  going  to  let  the  storm  continue." 

But  the  Sultan  begged  him  and  promised  that  Ban- 
tugan  might  marry  his  daughter  with  no  other  gifts 
at  all  save  the  statue  of  gold.  Balatama  put  back 
the  statue  into  his  helmet,  and  the  air  became  calm 
again  to  the  great  relief  of  the  Sultan  and  his  courtiers. 
Then  Balatama  prepared  to  return  home,  promising 
that  Bantugan  would  come  in  three  months  for  the 
wedding. 

All  went  well  with  the  boy  on  the  way  home  until 
he  came  to  the  fence  surrounding  the  stone  in  the  form 
of  a  man,  and  there  he  was  detained  and  compelled 
to  remain  four  months. 

Now  about  this  time  a  Spanish  general  heard  that 
Bantugan  was  preparing  to  marry  the  Sultan's  daugh- 
ter, whom  he  determined  to  wed  himself.  A  great 
expedition  was  prepared,  and  he  with  all  his  brothers 
embarked  on  his  large  warship  which  was  followed  by 
ten  thousand  other  ships.  They  went  to  the  Sultan's 
city,  and  their  number  was  so  great  that  they  filled 
the  harbor,  frightening  the  people  greatly. 

Then  the  General's  brother  disembarked  and  came 
to  the  house  of  the  Sultan.  He  demanded  the  Princess 

[166] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

for  the  General,  saying  that  if  the  request  were  re- 
fused, the  fleet  would  destroy  the  city  and  all  its  people. 
The  Sultan  and  his  courtiers  were  so  frightened  that 
they  decided  to  give  his  daughter  to  the  General,  the 
next  full  moon  being  the  date  set  for  the  wedding. 

In  the  meantime  Bantugan  had  been  preparing  every- 
thing for  the  marriage  which  he  expected  to  take  place 
at  the  appointed  time.  But  as  the  days  went  by  and 
Balatama  did  not  return,  they  became  alarmed,  fearing 
he  was  dead.  After  three  months  had  passed,  Ban- 
tugan prepared  a  great  expedition  to  go  in  search  of 
his  son,  and  the  great  warship  was  decorated  with  flags 
of  gold. 

As  they  came  in  sight  of  the  Sultan's  city,  they  saw 
the  Spanish  fleet  in  the  harbor,  and  one  of  his  brothers 
advised  Bantugan  not  to  enter  until  the  Spaniards  left. 
They  then  brought  their  ship  to  anchor.  But  all  were 
disappointed  that  they  could  not  go  farther,  and  one 
said,  "Why  do  we  not  go  on?  Even  if  the  blades  of 
grass  turn  into  Spaniards  we  need  not  fear."  Another 
said:  "Why  do  we  fear?  Even  if  the  cannon-balls 
come  like  rain,  we  can  always  fight."  Finally  some 
wanted  to  return  to  their  homes  and  Bantugan  said: 
"No,  let  us  seek  my  son.  Even  though  we  must  enter 
the  harbor  where  the  Spaniards  are,  let  us  continue 
our  search."  So  at  his  command  the  anchors  were 
lifted,  and  they  sailed  into  the  harbor  where  the  Span- 
ish fleet  lay. 

Now  at  this  very  time  the  Spanish  general  and  his 
brother  were  with  the  Sultan,  intending  to  call  upon 
the  Princess.  As  the  brother  talked  with  one  of  the 

[167] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

sisters  of  the  Princess  they  moved  toward  the  window, 
and  looking  down  they  saw  Bantugan's  ships  entering 
the  harbor.  They  could  not  tell  whose  flags  the  ships 
bore.  Neither  could  the  Sultan  when  he  was  called. 
Then  he  sent  his  brother  to  bring  his  father  who  was 
a  very  old  man,  to  see  if  he  could  tell.  The  father 
was  kept  in  a  little  dark  room  by  himself  that  he  might 
not  get  hurt,  and  the  Sultan  said  to  his  brother: 

"If  he  is  so  bent  with  age  that  he  cannot  see,  talk, 
or  walk,  tickle  him  in  the  ribs  and  that  will  make  him 
young  again;  and,  my  Brother,  carry  him  here  yourself 
lest  one  of  the  slaves  should  let  him  fall  and  he  should 
hurt  himself." 

So  the  old  man  was  brought,  and  when  he  looked 
out  upon  the  ships  he  saw  that  the  flags  were  those  of 
the  father  of  Bantugan  who  had  been  a  great  friend 
of  his  in  his  youth.  And  he  told  them  that  he  and 
Bantugan's  father  years  ago  had  made  a  contract  that 
their  children  and  children's  children  should  inter- 
marry, and  now  since  the  Sultan  had  promised  his 
daughter  to  two  people,  he  foresaw  that  great  trouble 
would  come  to  the  land.  Then  the  Sultan  said  to  the 
General: 

"Here  are  two  claimants  to  my  daughter's  hand. 
Go  aboard  your  ships  and  you  and  Bantugan  make 
war  on  each  other,  and  the  victor  shall  have  my 
daughter." 

So  the  Spaniards  opened  fire  upon  Bantugan,  and 
for  three  days  the  earth  was  so  covered  with  smoke 
from  the  battle  that  neither  could  see  his  enemy.  Then 
the  Spanish  general  said: 

[168] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"I  cannot  see  Bantugan  or  the  fleet  anywhere,  so 
let  us  go  and  claim  the  Princess." 

But  the  Sultan  said :  "We  must  wait  until  the  smoke 
rises  to  make  sure  that  Bantugan  is  gone." 

When  the  smoke  rose,  the  ships  of  Bantugan  were 
apparently  unharmed  and  the  Sultan  said: 

"Bantugan  has  surely  won,  for  his  fleet  is  uninjured 
while  yours  is  badly  damaged.  You  have  lost." 

"No,"  said  the  General,  "we  will  fight  it  out  on 
dry  land." 

So  they  both  landed  their  troops  and  their  cannon, 
and  a  great  fight  took  place,  and  soon  the  ground  was 
covered  with  dead  bodies.  And  the  Sultan  com- 
manded them  to  stop,  as  the  women  and  children  in 
the  city  were  being  killed  by  the  cannon-balls,  but  the 
General  said: 

"If  you  give  your  daughter  to  Bantugan  we  shall 
fight  forever  or  until  we  die." 

Then  the  Sultan  sent  for  Bantugan  and  said: 

"We  must  deceive  the  Spaniard  in  order  to  get  him 
to  go  away.  Let  us  tell  him  that  neither  of  you  will 
marry  my  daughter,  and  then  after  he  has  gone,  we 
shall  have  the  wedding." 

Bantugan  agreed  to  this,  and  word  was  sent  to  the 
Spaniards  that  the  fighting  must  cease  since  many 
women  and  children  were  being  killed.  So  it  was 
agreed  between  the  Spaniard  and  Bantugan  that  neither 
of  them  should  marry  the  Princess.  Then  they  both 
sailed  away  to  their  homes. 

Bantugan  soon  returned,  however,  and  married  the 
Princess,  and  on  the  way  back  to  his  home  they  found 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

his  son  and  took  him  with  them.  For  about  a  week 
the  Spanish  general  sailed  toward  his  home  and  then 
he,  too,  turned  about  to  go  back,  planning  to  take  the 
Princess  by  force.  When  he  found  that  she  had  al- 
ready been  carried  away  by  Bantugan,  his  wrath  knew 
no  bounds.  '  He  destroyed  the  Sultan,  his  city,  and 
all  its  people.  And  then  he  sailed  away  to  prepare  a 
great  expedition  with  which  he  should  utterly  destroy 
Bantugan  and  his  country  as  well. 

One  morning  Bantugan  looked  out  and  saw  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande  the  enormous  fleet  of  the 
Spaniards  whose  numbers  were  so  great  that  in  no 
direction  could  the  horizon  be  seen.  His  heart  sank 
within  him,  for  he  knew  that  he  and  his  country  were 
doomed. 

Though  he  could  not  hope  to  win  in  a  fight  against 
such  great  numbers,  he  called  his  headmen  together 
and  said: 

"My  Brothers,  the  Christian  dogs  have  come  to  de- 
stroy the  land.  We  cannot  successfully  oppose  them, 
but  in  the  defense  of  the  fatherland  we  can  die." 

So  the  great  warship  was  again  prepared,  and  all 
the  soldiers  of  Islam  embarked,  and  then  with  Ban- 
tugan standing  at  the  bow  they  sailed  forth  to  meet 
their  fate. 

The  fighting  was  fast  and  furious,  but  soon  the  great 
warship  of  Bantugan  filled  with  water  until  at  last  it 
sank,  drawing  with  it  hundreds  of  the  Spanish  ships. 
And  then  a  strange  thing  happened.  At  the  very  spot 
where  Bantugan's  warship  sank,  there  arose  from  the 
sea  a  great  island  which  you  can  see  today  not  far 

[170] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

from  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande.  It  is  covered 
with  bongo  palms,  and  deep  within  its  mountains  live 
Bantugan  and  his  warriors.  A  Moro  sailboat  passing 
this  island  is  always  scanned  by  Bantugan's  watchers, 
and  if  it  contains  women  such  as  he  admires,  they  are 
snatched  from  their  seats  and  carried  deep  into  the 
heart  of  the  mountain.  For  this  reason  Moro  women 
fear  even  to  sail  near  the  island  of  Bongos. 

When  the  wife  of  Bantugan  saw  that  her  husband 
was  no  more  and  that  his  warship  had  been  destroyed, 
she  gathered  together  the  remaining  warriors  and  set 
forth  herself  to  avenge  him.  In  a  few  hours  her  ship 
was  also  sunk,  and  in  the  place  where  it  sank  there 
arose  the  mountain  of  Timaco. 

On  this  thickly  wooded  island  are  found  white 
monkeys,  the  servants  of  the  Princess,  who  still  lives 
in  the  center  of  the  mountain.  On  a  quiet  day  high  up 
on  the  mountain  side  one  can  hear  the  chanting  and 
singing  of  the  waiting-girls  of  the  wife  of  Bantugan. 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Christianized  Tribes 


INTRODUCTION 

TTTHEN  the  Spaniards  discovered  the  Philippines 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  they  found  the  tribes 
along  the  coasts  of  the  different  islands  already  some- 
what influenced  by  trade  with  China,  Siam,  and  the 
islands  to  the  south. 

Under  Spanish  rule  the  coast  inhabitants,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Moro,  soon  became  converts  to  Chris- 
tianity and  adopted  the  dress  of  their  conquerors, 
though  they  retained  their  several  dialects  and  many 
of  their  former  customs.  Then,  no  longer  being  at 
war  with  one  another,  they  made  great  advances  in 
civilization,  while  the  hill  tribes  have  remained  iso- 
lated, retaining  their  old  customs  and  beliefs. 

The  tales  of  the  Christianized  tribes  include  a  great 
mixture  of  old  ideas  and  foreign  influences  obtained 
through  contact  with  the  outside  world. 


[175] 


THE  MONKEY  AND  THE  TURTLE 

Ilocano 

A  MONKEY,  looking  very  sad  and  dejected,  was 
•*•  *•  walking  along  the  bank  of  the  river  one  day  when 
he  met  a  turtle. 

"How  are  you?"  asked  the  turtle,  noticing  that  he 
looked  sad. 

The  monkey  replied,  "Oh,  my  friend,  I  am  very 
hungry.  The  squash  of  Mr.  Farmer  were  all  taken 
by  the  other  monkeys,  and  now  I  am  about  to  die 
from  want  of  food." 

"Do  not  be  discouraged,"  said  the  turtle;  "take  a 
bolo  and  follow  me  and  we  will  steal  some  banana 
plants." 

So  they  walked  along  together  until  they  found  some 
nice  plants  which  they  dug  up,  and  then  they  looked 
for  a  place  to  set  them.  Finally  the  monkey  climbed 
a  tree  and  planted  his  in  it,  but  as  the  turtle  could  not 
climb  he  dug  a  hole  in  the  ground  and  set  his  there. 

When  their  work  was  finished  they  went  away,  plan- 
ning what  they  should  do  with  their  crop.  The 
monkey  said: 

"When  my  tree  bears  fruit,  I  shall  sell  it  and  have 
a  great  deal  of  money." 

And  the  turtle  said:  "When  my  tree  bears  fruit,  I 
shall  sell  it  and  buy  three  varas  of  cloth  to  wear  in 
place  of  this  cracked  shell." 

[176] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

A  few  weeks  later  they  went  back  to  the  place  to  see 
their  plants  and  found  that  that  of  the  monkey  was 
dead,  for  its  roots  had  had  no  soil  in  the  tree,  but  that 
of  the  turtle  was  tall  and  bearing  fruit. 

"I  will  climb  to  the  top  so  that  we  can  get  the  fruit," 
said  the  monkey.  And  he  sprang  up  the  tree,  leaving 
the  poor  turtle  on  the  ground  alone. 

"Please  give  me  some  to  eat,"  called  the  turtle,  but 
the  monkey  threw  him  only  a  green  one  and  ate  all  the 
ripe  ones  himself. 

When  he  had  eaten  all  the  good  bananas,  the  monkey 
stretched  his  arms  around  the  tree  and  went  to  sleep. 
[The  turtle,  seeing  this,  was  very  angry  and  considered 
how  he  might  punish  the  thief.  Having  decided  on 
a  scheme,  he  gathered  some  sharp  bamboo  which  he 
stuck  all  around  under  the  tree,  and  then  he  exclaimed : 

"Crocodile  is  coming!     Crocodile  is  coming !" 

The  monkey  was  so  startled  at  the  cry  that  he  fell 
upon  the  sharp  bamboo  and  was  killed. 

Then  the  turtle  cut  the  dead  monkey  into  pieces,  put 
salt  on  it,  and  dried  it  in  the  sun.  The  next  day,  he 
went  to  the  mountains  and  sold  his  meat  to  other 
monkeys  who  gladly  gave  him  squash  in  return.  As 
he  was  leaving  them  he  called  back: 

"Lazy  fellows,  you  are  now  eating  your  own  body; 
you  are  now  eating  your  own  body." 

Then  the  monkeys  ran  and  caught  him  and  carried 
him  to  their  own  home. 

"Let  us  take  a  hatchet,"  said  one  old  monkey,  "and 
cut  him  into  very  small  pieces." 

But  the  turtle  laughed  and  said:  "That  is  just  what 

[177] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

I  like.  I  have  been  struck  with  a  hatchet  many  times. 
Do  you  not  see  the  black  scars  on  my  shell?" 

Then  one  of  the  other  monkeys  said:  "Let  us  throw 
him  into  the  water." 

At  this  the  turtle  cried  and  begged  them  to  spare 
his  life,  but  they  paid  no  heed  to  his  pleadings  and 
threw  him  into  the  water.  He  sank  to  the  bottom, 
but  very  soon  came  up  with  a  lobster.  The  monkeys 
were  greatly  surprised  at  this  and  begged  him  to  tell 
them  how  to  catch  lobsters. 

"I  tied  one  end  of  a  string  around  my  waist,"  said 
the  turtle.  "To  the  other  end  of  the  string  I  tied  a 
stone  so  that  I  would  sink." 

The  monkeys  immediately  tied  strings  around  them- 
selves as  the  turtle  said,  and  when  all  was  ready  they 
plunged  into  the  water  never  to  come  up  again. 

And  to  this  day  monkeys  do  not  like  to  eat  meat, 
because  they  remember  the  ancient  story.1 


1This  tale  told  by  the  Ilocano  is  well  known  among  both  the 
Christianized  and  the  wild  tribes  of  the  Philippines,  and  also  in 
Borneo  and  Java.  However,  the  Ilocano  is  the  only  version,  so  far  as 
known,  which  has  the  explanatory  element:  the  reason  is  given  here 
why  monkeys  do  not  eat  meat.  The  turtle  is  accredited  with  extraor- 
dinary sagacity  and  cunning.  It  is  another  example  of  the  type  of 
tale  showing  the  victory  of  the  weak  and  cunning  over  the  strong  but 
stupid.  Bee  "The  Turtle  and  the  Lizard,"  p.  86. 


[178] 


THE  POOR  FISHERMAN  AND  HIS  WIFE 

Ilocano 

IV/f  ANY,  many  years  ago  a  poor  fisherman  and  his 
*•*•*•  wife  lived  with  their  three  sons  in  a  village  by 
the  sea.  One  day  the  old  man  set  his  snare  in  the 
water  not  far  from  his  house,  and  at  night  when  he 
went  to  look  at  it,  he  found  that  he  had  caught  a  great 
white  fish.  This  startled  the  old  man  very  much,  for 
he  had  never  seen  a  fish  like  this  before,  and  it  occurred 
to  him  that  it  was  the  priest  of  the  town. 

He  ran  to  his  wife  as  fast  as  he  could  and  cried: 

"My  wife,  I  have  caught  the  priest." 

"What?"  said  the  old  woman,  terrified  at  the  sight 
of  her  frightened  husband. 

"I  have  caught  the  priest,"  said  the  old  man  again. 

They  hurried  together  to  the  river  where  the  snare 
was  set,  and  when  the  old  woman  saw  the  fish,  she 
cried: 

"Oh,  it  is  not  the  priest  but  the  governor." 

"No,  it  is  the  priest,"  insisted  the  old  man,  and  they 
went  home  trembling  with  fear. 

That  night  neither  of  them  was  able  to  sleep  for 
thought  of  the  terrible  thing  that  had  happened  and 
wondering  what  they  should  do.  Now  the  next  day 
was  a  great  holiday  in  the  town.  At  four  o'clock  in 
the  morning  cannons  were  fired  and  bells  rang  loudly. 
The  old  man  and  woman,  hearing  all  the  noise  and 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

not  knowing  the  reason  for  it,  thought  that  their  crime 
had  been  discovered,  and  the  people  were  searching 
for  them  to  punish  them,  so  they  set  out  as  fast  as 
they  could  to  hide  in  the  woods.  On  and  on  they  went, 
stopping  only  to  rest  so  as  to  enable  them  to  resume 
their  flight. 

The  next  morning  they  reached  the  woods  near  Pilar, 
where  there  also  was  a  great  holiday,  and  the  sexton 
was  ringing  the  bells  to  call  the  people  to  mass.  As 
soon  as  the  old  man  and  woman  heard  the  bells  they 
thought  the  people  there  had  been  notified  of  their 
escape,  and  that  they,  too,  were  trying  to  catch  them. 
So  they  turned  and  started  home  again. 

As  they  reached  their  house,  the  three  sons  came 
home  with  their  one  horse  and  tied  it  to  the  trunk  of 
the  caramay  tree.  Presently  the  bells  began  to  ring 
again,  for  it  was  twelve  o'clock  at  noon.  Not  think- 
ing what  time  of  day  it  was,  the  old  man  and  woman 
ran  out  of  doors  in  terror,  and  seeing  the  horse  jumped 
on  its  back  with  the  intention  of  riding  to  the  next  town 
before  anyone  could  catch  them.  When  they  had 
mounted  they  began  to  whip  the  horse.  In  their  haste, 
they  had  forgotten  to  untie  the  rope  which  was  around 
the  trunk  of  the  caramay  tree.  As  the  horse  pulled  at 
the  rope  fruit  fell  from  the  tree  upon  the  old  man  and 
woman.  Believing  they  were  shot,  they  were  so  fright- 
ened that  they  died.1 


1A11  the  events  here  given  represent  present-day  occurrences,  and 
the  story  appears  to  have  been  invented  purely  to  amuse. 


[180] 


THE  PRESIDENTE  WHO  HAD  HORNS 

Hoc  an  o 


there  was  a  presidente1  who  was  very  un- 
just  to  his  people,  and  one  day  he  became  so 
angry  that  he  wished  he  had  horns  so  that  he  might 
frighten  them.  No  sooner  had  he  made  this  rash  wish, 
than  horns  began  to  grow  on  his  head. 

He  sent  for  a  barber  who  came  to  his  house  to  cut 
his  hair,  and  as  he  worked  the  presidente  asked: 

"What  do  you  see  on  my  head?" 

"I  see  nothing,"  answered  the  barber;  for  although 
he  could  see  the  horns  plainly,  he  was  afraid  to  say  so. 

Soon,  however,  the  presidente  put  up  his  hands  and 
felt  the  horns,  and  then  when  he  inquired  again  the 
barber  told  him  that  he  had  two  horns. 

"If  you  tell  anyone  what  you  have  seen,  you  shall 
be  hanged,"  said  the  presidente  as  the  barber  started 
away,  and  he  was  greatly  frightened. 

When  he  reached  home,  the  barber  did  not  intend 
to  tell  anyone,  for  he  was  afraid;  but  as  he  thought  of 
his  secret  more  and  more,  the  desire  to  tell  someone 
became  so  strong  that  he  knew  he  could  not  keep  it. 
Finally  he  went  to  the  field  and  dug  a  hole  under  some 
bamboo,  and  when  the  hole  was  large  enough  he 
crawled  in  and  whispered  that  the  presidente  had 


headman  of  the  town. 

[181] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

horns.  He  then  climbed  out,  filled  up  the  hole,  and 
went  home. 

By  and  by  some  people  came  along  the  road  on  their 
way  to  market,  and  as  they  passed  the  bamboo  they 
stopped  in  amazement,  for  surely  a  voice  came  from 
the  trees,  and  it  said  that  the  presidente  had  horns. 
These  people  hastened  to  market  and  told  what  they 
had  heard,  and  the  people  there  went  to  the  bamboo  to 
listen  to  the  strange  voice.  They  informed  others, 
and  soon  the  news  had  spread  all  over  the  town.  The 
councilmen  were  told,  and  they,  too,  went  to  the  bam- 
boo. When  they  had  heard  the  voice,  they  ran  to 
the  house  of  the  presidente.  But  his  wife  said  that 
he  was  ill  and  they  could  not  see  him. 

By  this  time  the  horns  had  grown  until  they  were  one 
foot  in  length,  and  the  presidente  was  so  ashamed  that 
he  bade  his  wife  tell  the  people  that  he  could  not  talk. 
She  told  this  to  the  councilmen  when  they  came  on  the 
following  day,  but  they  replied  that  they  must  see  him, 
for  they  had  heard  that  he  had  horns,  and  if  this  were 
true  he  had  no  right  to  govern  the  people. 

She  refused  to  let  them  in,  so  they  broke  down  the 
door.  They  saw  the  horns  on  the  head  of  the  presi- 
dente and  killed  him.  For,  they  said,  he  was  no  better 
than  an  animal.1 


1Here  we  have  an  excellent  illustration  of  how  a  story  brought  in 
by  the  Spaniards  has  been  worked  over  into  Philippine  setting.  This 
is  doubtless  the  classical  story  of  Midas,  but  since  the  ass  is  practically 
unknown  in  the  Philippines,  horns  (probably  carabao  horns)  have 
been  substituted  for  the  ass's  ears,  which  grew  on  Midas'  head.  Like- 
wise the  bamboo,  which  grows  in  abundance,  takes  the  place  of  the 
reeds  in  the  original  tale. 

[182] 


THE  STORY  OF  A  MONKEY 

Ilocano 

day  when  a  monkey  was  climbing  a  tree  in 
the  forest  in  which  he  lived,  he  ran  a  thorn  injo 
his  tail.  Try  as  he  would,  he  could  not  get  it  out,  so 
he  went  to  a  barber  in  the  town  and  said: 

"Friend  Barber,  I  have  a  thorn  in  the  end  of  my 
tail.  Pull  it  out,  and  I  will  pay  you  well." 

The  barber  tried  to  pull  out  the  thorn  with  his  razor, 
but  in  doing  so  he  cut  off  the  end  of  the  tail.  The 
monkey  was  very  angry  and  cried: 

"Barber,  Barber,  give  me  back  my  tail,  or  give  me 
your  razor!" 

The  barber  could  not  put  back  the  end  of  the 
monkey's  tail,  so  he  gave  him  his  razor. 

On  the  way  home  the  monkey  met  an  old  woman 
who  was  cutting  wood  for  fuel,  and  he  said  to  her: 

"Grandmother,  Grandmother,  that  is  very  hard. 
Use  this  razor  and  then  it  will  cut  easily." 

The  old  woman  was  very  pleased  with  the  offer  and 
began  to  cut  with  the  razor,  but  before  she  had  used 
it  long  it  broke.  Then  the  monkey  cried: 

"Grandmother,  Grandmother,  you  have  broken  my 
razor!  You  must  get  a  new  one  for  me  or  else  give 
me  all  the  firewood." 

The  old  woman  could  not  get  a  new  razor  so  she 
gave  him  the  firewood. 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

The  monkey  took  the  wood  and  was  going  back  to 
town  to  sell  it,  when  he  saw  a  woman  sitting  beside 
the  road  making  cakes. 

"Grandmother,  Grandmother,"  said  he,  "your  wood 
is  most  gone ;  take  this  of  mine  and  bake  more  cakes." 

The  woman  took  the  wood  and  thanked  him  for  his 
kindness,  but  when  the  last  stick  was  burned,  the 
monkey  cried  out: 

"Grandmother,  Grandmother,  you  have  burned  up 
all  my  wood !  Now  you  must  give  me  all  your  cakes 
to  pay  for  it." 

The  old  woman  could  not  cut  more  dry  wood  at 
once,  so  she  gave  him  all  the  cakes. 

The  monkey  took  the  cakes  and  started  for  the  town, 
but  on  the  way  he  met  a  dog  which  bit  him  so  that  he 
died.  And  the  dog  ate  all  the  cakes. 


JHE  WHITE  SQUASH 

llocano 

TN  a  queer  little  bamboo  house  in  front  of  a  big 
•*•  garden  lived  a  man  and  his  wife  all  alone.  They 
had  always  been  kind  and  good  to  everyone,  but  still 
they  were  not  happy,  because  the  child  for  which  they 
longed  had  never  come  to  them.  Each  day  for  many 
years  they  had  prayed  for  a  son  or  a  daughter,  but 
their  prayers  had  been  unanswered.  Now  that  they 
were  growing  old  they  believed  that  they  must  always 
live  alone. 

In  the  garden  near  their  house  this  couple  grew  fine 
white  squash,  and  as  the  vines  bore  the  year  around, 
they  had  never  been  in  need  of  food.  One  day,  how- 
ever, they  discovered  that  no  new  squash  had  formed 
to  take  the  place  of  those  they  had  picked,  and  for 
the  first  time  in  many  seasons  they  had  no  vegetables. 

Each  day  they  examined  the  vines,  and  though  the 
big,  yellow  flowers  continued  to  bloom  and  fade,  no 
squash  grew  on  the  stems.  Finally,  one  morning  after 
a  long  wait,  the  woman  cried  out  with  delight,  for  she 
had  discovered  a  little  green  squash.  After  examin- 
ing it,  they  decided  to  let  it  ripen  that  they  might  have 
the  seeds  to  plant.  They  eagerly  watched  it  grow,  and 
it  became  a  beautiful  white  vegetable,  but  by  the  time 
it  was  large  enough  for  food  they  were  so  hungry  that 
they  decided  to  eat  it. 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

They  brought  a  large  knife  and  picked  it,  but 
scarcely  had  they  started  to  open  it  when  a  voice  cried 
out  from  within,  "Please  be  careful  that  you  do  not 
hurt  me." 

The  man  and  woman  stopped  their  work,  for  they 
thought  that  a  spirit  must  have  spoken  to  them.  But 
when  the  voice  again  called  and  begged  them  to  open 
the  squash,  they  carefully  opened  it,  and  there  inside 
was  a  nice  baby  boy.1  He  could  already  stand  alone 
and  could  talk.  And  the  man  and  his  wife  were  over- 
joyed. 

Presently  the  woman  went  to  the  spring  for  a  jar  of 
water,  and  when  she  had  brought  it  she  spread  a  mat 
on  the  floor  and  began  to  bathe  the  baby.  As  the 
drops  of  water  fell  off  his  body,  they  were  immedi- 
ately changed  to  gold,  so  that  when  the  bath  was  fin- 
ished gold  pieces  covered  the  mat.  The  couple  had 
been  so  delighted  to  have  the  baby  that  it  had  seemed 
as  if  there  was  nothing  more  to  wish  for,  but  now  that 
the  gold  had  come  to  them  also  they  were  happier  than 
ever. 

The  next  morning  the  woman  gave  the  baby  another 
bath,  and  again  the  water  turned  to  gold.  They  now 
had  enough  money  to  build  a  large  house.  The  third 
morning  she  brought  water  for  his  bath  again,  but  he 
grew  very  sad  and  flew  away.  At  the  same  time  all 
the  gold  disappeared  also,  and  the  man  and  his  wife 
were  left  poor  and  alone. 


1A  common  fancy  in  Malay  legends  is  the  supernatural  origin  of  a 
child  in  some  vegetable,  usually  a  bamboo.    See  note  a,  p.  99. 

[186] 


is*** 

J 


W 


THE  CREATION  STORY 

Tagalog 

HEN  the  world  first  began  there  was  no  land, 
but  only  the  sea  and  the  sky,  and  between  them 
was  a  kite.1  One  day  the  bird  which  had  nowhere  to 
light  grew  tired  of  flying  about,  so  she  stirred  up  the 
sea  until  it  threw  its  waters  against  the  sky.  The  sky, 
in  order  to  restrain  the  sea,  showered  upon  it  many 
islands  until  it  could  no  longer  rise,  but  ran  back  and 
forth.  Then  the  sky  ordered  the  kite  to  light  on  one 
of  the  islands  to  build  her  nest,  and  to  leave  the  sea 
and  the  sky  in  peace. 

Now  at  this  time  the  land  breeze  and  the  sea  breeze 
were  married,  and  they  had  a  child  which  was  a 
bamboo.  One  day  when  this  bamboo  was  floating 
about  on  the  water,  it  struck  the  feet  of  the  kite  which 
was  on  the  beach.  The  bird,  angry  that  anything 
should  strike  it,  pecked  at  the  bamboo,  and  out  of  one 
section  came  a  man  and  from  the  other  a  woman. 

Then  the  earthquake  called  on  all  the  birds  and  fish 
to  see  what  should  be  done  with  these  two,  and  it  was 
decided  that  they  should  marry.  Many  children  were 
born  to  the  couple,  and  from  them  came  all  the  differ- 
ent races  of  people. 

After  a  while  the  parents  grew  very  tired  of  having 


1 A  bird  something  like  a  hawk. 

[187] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

so  many  idle  and  useless  children  around,  and  they 
wished  to  be  rid  of  them,  but  they  knew  of  no  place  to 
send  them  to.  Time  went  on  and  the  children  became 
so  numerous  that  the  parents  enjoyed  no  peace.  One 
day,  in  desperation,  the  father  seized  a  stick  and  began 
beating  them  on  all  sides. 

This  so  frightened  the  children  that  they  fled  in  dif- 
ferent directions,  seeking  hidden  rooms  in  the  house 
—  some  concealed  themselves  in  the  walls,  some  ran 
outside,  while  others  hid  in  the  fireplace,  and  several 
fled  to  the  sea. 

Now  it  happened  that  those  who  went  into  the 
hidden  rooms  of  the  house  later  became  the  chiefs  of 
the  Islands;  and  those  who  concealed  themselves  in 
the  walls  became  slaves.  Those  who  ran  outside  were 
free  men;  and  those  who  hid  in  the  fireplace  became 
negroes;  while  those  who  fled  to  the  sea  were  gone 
many  years,  and  when  their  children  came  back  they 
were  the  white  people.1 


*See  note  i,  p.  134. 


[188] 


THE  STORY  OF  BENITO 

Tagalog 

T3ENITO  was  an  only  son  who  lived  with  his  father 
***  and  mother  in  a  little  village.  They  were  very 
poor,  and  as  the  boy  grew  older  and  saw  how  hard 
his  parents  struggled  for  their  scanty  living  he  often 
dreamed  of  a  time  when  he  might  be  a  help  to  them. 

One  evening  when  they  sat  eating  their  frugal  meal 
of  rice  the  father  told  about  a  young  king  who  lived 
in  a  beautiful  palace  some  distance  from  their  village, 
and  the  boy  became  very  much  interested.  That  night 
when  the  house  was  dark  and  quiet  and  Benito  lay  on 
his  mat  trying  to  sleep,  thoughts  of  the  young  king 
repeatedly  came  to  his  mind,  and  he  wished  he  were  a 
king  that  he  and  his  parents  might  spend  the  rest  of 
their  lives  in  a  beautiful  palace. 

The  next  morning  he  awoke  with  a  new  idea.  He 
would  go  to  the  king  and  ask  for  work,  that  he  might 
in  that  way  be  able  to  help  his  father  and  mother. 
He  was  a  long  time  in  persuading  his  parents  to  allow 
him  to  go,  however,  for  it  was  a  long  journey,  and 
they  feared  that  the  king  might  not  be  gracious.  But 
at  last  they  gave  their  consent,  and  the  boy  started 
out  The  journey  proved  tiresome.  After  he  reached 
the  palace,  he  was  not  at  first  permitted  to  see  the 
king.  But  the  boy  being  very  earnest  at  last  secured 
a  place  as  a  servant. 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

It  was  a  new  and  strange  world  to  Benito  who  had 
known  only  the  life  of  a  little  village.  The  work  was 
hard,  but  he  was  happy  in  thinking  that  now  he  could 
help  his  father  and  mother.  One  day  the  king  sent 
for  him  and  said: 

"I  want  you  to  bring  to  me  a  beautiful  princess  who 
lives  in  a  land  across  the  sea.  Go  at  once,  and  if  you 
fail  you  shall  be  punished  severely." 

The  boy's  heart  sank  within  him,  for  he  did  not 
know  what  to  do.  But  he  answered  as  bravely  as  pos- 
sible, "I  will,  my  lord,"  and  left  the  king's  chamber. 
He  at  once  set  about  preparing  things  for  a  long  jour- 
ney, for  he  was  determined  to  try  at  least  to  fulfil  the 
command. 

When  all  was  ready  Benito  started.  He  had  not 
gone  far  before  he  came  to  a  thick  forest,  where  he 
saw  a  large  bird  bound  tightly  with  strings. 

"Oh,  my  friend,"  pleaded  the  bird,  "please  free  me 
from  these  bonds,  and  I  will  help  you  whenever  you 
call  on  me." 

Benito  quickly  released  the  bird,  and  it  flew  away 
calling  back  to  him  that  its  name  was  Sparrow- 
hawk. 

Benito  continued  his  journey  till  he  came  to  the  sea. 
Unable  to  find  a  way  of  crossing,  he  stopped  and  gazed 
sadly  out  over  the  waters,  thinking  of  the  king's  threat 
if  he  failed.  Suddenly  he  saw  swimming  toward  him 
the  King  of  the  Fishes  who  asked: 

"Why  are  you  so  sad?" 

"I  wish  to  cross  the  sea  to  find  the  beautiful  Prin- 
cess," answered  the  boy. 

[190] 

t 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"Well,  get  on  my  back,"  said  the  Fish,  "and  I  will 
carry  you  across." 

So  Benito  stepped  on  his  back  and  was  carried  to 
the  other  shore. 

Soon  he  met  a  strange  woman  who  inquired  what 
it  was  he  sought,  and  when  he  had  told  her  she  said: 

"The  Princess  is  kept  in  a  castle  guarded  by  giants. 
Take  this  magic  sword,  for  it  will  kill  instantly  what- 
ever it  touches."  And  she  handed  him  the  weapon. 

Benito  was  more  than  grateful  for  her  kindness  and 
went  on  full  of  hope.  As  he  approached  the  castle 
he  could  see  that  it  was  surrounded  by  many  giants, 
and  as  soon  as  they  saw  him  they  ran  out  to  seize  him, 
but  they  went  unarmed  for  they  saw  that  he  was  a 
mere  boy.  As  they  approached  he  touched  those  in 
front  with  his  sword,  and  one  by  one  they  fell  dead. 
Then  the  others  ran  away  in  a  panic,  and  left  the  castle 
unguarded.  Benito  entered,  and  when  he  had  told  the 
Princess  of  his  errand,  she  was  only  too  glad  to  escape 
from  her  captivity  and  she  set  out  at  once  with  him 
for  the  palace  of  the  king. 

At  the  seashore  the  King  of  the  Fishes  was  waiting 
for  them,  and  they  had  no  difficulty  in  crossing  the 
sea  and  then  in  journeying  through  the  thick  forest  to 
the  palace,  where  they  were  received  with  great  re- 
joicing. After  a  time  the  King  asked  the  Princess  to 
become  his  wife,  and  she  replied: 

"I  will,  O  King,  if  you  will  get  the  ring  I  lost  in 
the  sea  as  I  was  crossing  it." 

The  King  immediately  thought  of  Benito,  and  send- 
ing for  him  he  commanded  him  to  find  the  ring  which 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

had  been  lost  on  the  journey  from  the  land  of  the 
giants. 

It  seemed  a  hopeless  task  to  the  boy,  but,  anxious  to 
obey  his  master,  he  started  out.  At  the  seaside  he 
stopped  and  gazed  over  the  waters  until,  to  his  great 
delight,  he  saw  his  friend,  the  King  of  the  Fishes, 
swimming  toward  him.  When  he  had  been  told  of 
the  boy's  troubles,  the  great  fish  said:  "I  will  see  if  I 
can  help  you,"  and  he  summoned  all  his  subjects  to 
him.  When  they  came  he  found  that  one  was  missing, 
and  he  sent  the  others  in  search  of  it.  They  found  it 
under  a  stone  so  full  that  it  could  not  swim,  and  the 
larger  ones  took  it  by  the  tail  and  dragged  it  to  the 
King. 

"Why  did  you  not  come  when  you  were  called?" 
inquired  the  King  Fish. 

"I  have  eaten  so  much  that  I  cannot  swim,"  replied 
the  poor  fish. 

Then  the  King  Fish,  suspecting  the  truth,  ordered  it 
cut  open,  and  inside  they  found  the  lost  ring.  Benito 
was  overjoyed  at  this,  and  expressing  his  great  thanks, 
hastened  with  the  precious  ring  to  his  master. 

The  King,  greatly  pleased,  carried  the  ring  to  the 
Princess  and  said : 

"Now  that  I  have  your  ring  will  you  become  my 
wife?" 

"I  will  be  your  wife,"  replied  the  Princess,  "if  you 
will  find  my  earring  that  I  lost  in  the  forest  as  I  was 
journeying  with  Benito." 

Again  the  King  sent  for  Benito,  and  this  time  he 
commanded  him  to  find  the  earring.  The  boy  was 

[192] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

very  weary  from  his  long  journeys,  but  with  no  com- 
plaint he  started  out  once  more.  Along  the  road 
through  the  thick  forest  he  searched  carefully,  but  with 
no  reward.  At  last,  tired  and  discouraged,  he  sat  down 
under  a  tree  to  rest. 

Suddenly  there  appeared  before  him  a  mouse  of 
great  size,  and  he  was  surprised  to  find  that  it  was  the 
King  of  Mice. 

"Why  are  you  so  sad?"  asked  the  King  Mouse. 

"Because,"  answered  the  boy,  "I  cannot  find  an  ear- 
ring which  the  Princess  lost  as  we  were  going  through 
the  forest  together." 

"I  will  help  you,"  said  the  Mouse,  and  he  summoned 
all  his  subjects. 

When  they  assembled  it  was  found  that  one  little 
mouse  was  missing,  and  the  King  sent  the  others  to 
look  for  him.  In  a  small  hole  among  the  bamboo  trees 
they  found  him,  and  he  begged  to  be  left  alone,  for, 
he  said,  he  was  so  full  that  he  could  not  walk.  Never- 
theless they  pulled  him  along  to  their  master,  who, 
upon  finding  that  there  was  something  hard  inside  the 
mouse,  ordered  him  cut  open;  and  inside  they  found 
the  missing  earring. 

Benito  at  once  forgot  his  weariness,  and  after  ex- 
pressing his  great  thanks  to  the  King  Mouse  he  hast- 
ened to  the  palace  with  the  prize.  The  King  eagerly 
seized  the  earring  and  presented  it  to  the  Princess, 
again  asking  her  to  be  his  wife. 

"Oh,  my  King,"  replied  the  Princess,  "I  have  one 
more  request  to  make.  Only  grant  it  and  I  will  be 
your  wife  forever." 

[193] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

The  King,  believing  that  now  with  the  aid  of  Benito 
he  could  grant  anything,  inquired  what  it  was  she 
wished,  and  she  replied: 

"Get  me  some  water  from  heaven  and  some  from 
the  lower  world,  and  I  shall  ask  nothing  more." 

Once  more  the  King  called  Benito  and  sent  him  on 
the  hardest  errand  of  all. 

The  boy  went  out  not  knowing  which  way  to  turn, 
and  while  he  was  in  a  deep  study  his  weary  feet  led 
him  to  the  forest.  Suddenly  he  thought  of  the  bird 
who  had  promised  to  help  him,  and  he  called,  "Spar- 
rowhawk!"  There  was  a  rustle  of  wings,  and  the  bird 
swooped  down.  He  told  it  of  his  troubles  and  it 
said: 

"I  will  get  the  water  for  you." 

Then  Benito  made  two  light  cups  of  bamboo  which 
he  fastened  to  the  bird's  legs,  and  it  flew  away.  All 
day  the  boy  waited  in  the  forest,  and  just  as  night  was 
coming  on  the  bird  returned  with  both  cups  full.  The 
one  on  his  right  foot,  he  told  Benito,  was  from  heaven, 
and  that  on  his  left  was  from  the  lower  world.  The 
boy  unfastened  the  cups,  and  then,  as  he  was  thanking 
the  bird,  he  noticed  that  the  journey  had  been  too  much 
for  it  and  that  it  was  dying.  Filled  with  sorrow  for 
his  winged  friend,  he  waited  and  carefully  buried  it, 
and  then  he  hastened  to  the  palace  with  the  precious 
water. 

When  the  Princess  saw  that  her  wish  had  been  ful- 
filled she  asked  the  King  to  cut  her  in  two  and  pour 
over  her  the  water  from  heaven.  The  King  was  not 
able  to  do  this,  so  she  cut  herself,  and  then  as  he  poured 

[194] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

the  water  over  her  he  beheld  her  grow  into  the  most 
beautiful  woman  he  had  ever  seen. 

Eager  to  become  handsome  himself,  the  King  then 
begged  her  to  pour  over  him  the  water  from  the  other 
cup.  He  cut  himself,  and  she  did  as  he  requested,  but 
immediately  there  arose  a  creature  most  ugly  and  hor- 
rible to  look  upon,  which  soon  vanished  out  of  sight. 
Then  the  Princess  called  Benito  and  told  him  that  be- 
cause he  had  been  so  faithful  to  his  master  and  so  kind 
to  her,  she  chose  him  for  her  husband. 

They  were  married  amid  great  festivities  and  became 
king  and  queen  of  that  broad  and  fertile  land.  During 
all  the  great  rejoicing,  however,  Benito  never  forgot 
his  parents.  One  of  the  finest  portions  of  his  kingdom 
he  gave  to  them,  and  from  that  time  they  all  lived  in 
great  happiness.1 


irThis  is  undoubtedly  a  workcd-over  story,  probably  brought  in  from 
Europe.  Kings,  queens,  palaces,  etc.,  were,  of  course,  unknown  to 
the  people  before  the  advent  of  the  Spaniards. 


[195] 


j 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  JUAN 

Tagalog 

UAN  was  always  getting  into  trouble.  He  was  a 
lazy  boy,  and  more  than  that,  he  did  not  have  good 
sense.  When  he  tried  to  do  things,  he  made  such 
dreadful  mistakes  that  he  might  better  not  have  tried. 

His  family  grew  very  impatient  with  him,  scolding 
and  beating  him  whenever  he  did  anything  wrong.  One 
day  his  mother,  who  was  almost  discouraged  with  him, 
gave  him  a  bolo1  and  sent  him  to  the  forest,  for  she 
thought  he  could  at  least  cut  firewood.  Juan  walked 
leisurely  along,  contemplating  some  means  of  escape. 
At  last  he  came  to  a  tree  that  seemed  easy  to  cut, 
and  then  he  drew  his  long  knife  and  prepared  to 
work. 

Now  it  happened  that  this  was  a  magic  tree  and  it 
said  to  Juan : 

"If  you  do  not  cut  me  I  will  give  you  a  goat  that 
shakes  silver  from  its  whiskers." 

This  pleased  Juan  wonderfully,  both  because  he  was 
curious  to  see  the  goat,  and  because  he  would  not  have 
to  chop  the  wood.  He  agreed  at  once  to  spare  the 
tree,  whereupon  the  bark  separated  and  a  goat  stepped 
out.  Juan  commanded  it  to  shake  its  whiskers,  and 
when  the  money  began  to  drop  he  was  so  delighted  that 


long  knife. 

[196] 


A  RICE  GRANARY 


METHODS  OF  TRANSPORTATION 


A  STORE  IN  A  CHRISTIANIZED  VILLAGE 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

he  took  the  animal  and  started  home  to  show  his 
treasure  to  his  mother. 

On  the  way  he  met  a  friend  who  was  more  cunning 
than  Juan,  and  when  he  heard  of  the  boy's  rich  goat 
he  decided  to  rob  him.  Knowing  Juan's  fondness  for 
tuba,1  he  persuaded  him  to  drink,  and  while  he  was 
drunk,  the  friend  substituted  another  goat  for  the  magic 
one.  As  soon  as  he  was  sober  again,  Juan  hastened 
home  with  the  goat  and  told  his  people  of  the  wonder- 
ful tree,  but  when  he  commanded  the  animal  to  shake 
its  whiskers,  no  money  fell  out.  The  family,  believing 
it  to  be  another  of  Juan's  tricks,  beat  and  scolded  the 
poor  boy. 

He  went  back  to  the  tree  and  threatened  to  cut  it 
down  for  lying  to  him,  but  the  tree  said: 

"No,  do  not  cut  me  down  and  I  will  give  you  a  net 
which  you  may  cast  on  dry  ground,  or  even  in  the  tree 
tops,  and  it  will  return  full  of  fish." 

So  Juan  spared  the  tree  and  started  home  with  his 
precious  net,  but  on  the  way  he  met  the  same  friend 
who  again  persuaded  him  to  drink  tuba.  While  he  was 
drunk,  the  friend  replaced  the  magic  net  with  a  common 
one,  so  that  when  Juan  reached  home  and  tried  to  show 
his  power,  he  was  again  the  subject  of  ridicule. 

Once  more  Juan  went  to  his  tree,  this  time  deter- 
mined to  cut  it  down.  But  the  offer  of  a  magic  pot, 
always  full  of  rice  and  spoons  which  provided  what- 
ever he  wished  to  eat  with  his  rice,  dissuaded  him,  and 
he  started  home  happier  than  ever.  Before  reaching 


JThe  fermented  juice  of  the  cocoanut. 

[197] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

home,  however,  he  met  with  the  same  fate  as  before, 
and  his  folks,  who  were  becoming  tired  of  his  pranks, 
beat  him  harder  than  ever. 

Thoroughly  angered,  Juan  sought  the  tree  a  fourth 
time  and  was  on  the  point  of  cutting  it  down  when  once 
more  it  arrested  his  attention.  After  some  discussion, 
he  consented  to  accept  a  stick  to  which  he  had  only  to 
say,  "Boombye,  Boomba,"  and  it  would  beat  and  kill 
anything  he  wished. 

When  he  met  his  friend  on  this  trip,  he  was  asked 
what  he  had  and  he  replied : 

"Oh,  it  is  only  a  stick,  but  if  I  say  'Boombye, 
Boomba'  it  will  beat  you  to  death." 

At  the  sound  of  the  magic  words  the  stick  leaped 
from  his  hands  and  began  beating  his  friend  until  he 
cried: 

"Oh,  stop  it  and  I  will  give  back  everything  that  I 
stole  from  you."  Juan  ordered  the  stick  to  stop,  and 
then  he  compelled  the  man  to  lead  the  goat  and  to 
carry  the  net  and  the  jar  and  spoons  to  his  home. 

There  Juan  commanded  the  goat,  and  it  shook  its 
whiskers  until  his  mother  and  brothers  had  all  the  silver 
they  could  carry.  Then  they  ate  from  the  magic  jar 
and  spoons  until  they  were  filled.  And  this  time  Juan 
was  not  scolded.  After  they  had  finished  Juan  said: 

"You  have  beaten  me  and  scolded  me  all  my  life, 
and  now  you  are  glad  to  accept  my  good  things.  I  am 
going  to  show  you  something  else:  'Boombye, 
BoombaV  Immediately  the  stick  leaped  out  and  beat 
them  all  until  they  begged  for  mercy  and  promised  that 
Juan  should  ever  after  be  head  of  the  house. 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

From  that  time  Juan  was  rich  and  powerful,  but  he 
never  went  anywhere  without  his  stick.  One  night, 
when  some  thieves  came  to  his  house,  he  would  have 
been  robbed  and  killed  had  it  not  been  for  the  magic 
words  "Boombye,  Boomba,"  which  caused  the  death 
of  all  the  robbers. 

Some  time  after  this  he  married  a  beautiful  princess, 
and  because  of  the  kindness  of  the  magic  tree  they 
always  lived  happily.1 


1This  tale  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  Grimm's  "The  Table,  the 
Ass,  and  the  Stick,"  Fairy  Tales. 


[199] 


o 


JUAN  GATHERS  GUAVAS 

Tagalog 

NE  day  Juan's  father  sent  him  to  get  some  ripe 
guavas,  for  a  number  of  the  neighbors  had  come 
in  and  he  wanted  to  give  them  something  to  eat. 

Juan  went  to  the  guava  fimftiOG  and  ate  all  the  fruit 
he  could  hold,  and  then  he  decided  to  play  a  joke  on 
his  father's  guests  instead  of  giving  them  a  feast  of 
guavas.  A  wasp's  nest  hung  near  by.  With  some 
difficulty  he  succeeded  in  taking  it  down  and  putting  it 
into  a  tight  basket  that  he  had  brought  for  the  fruit. 
He  hastened  home  and  gave  the  basket  to  his  father, 
and  then  as  he  left  the  room  where  the  guests  were 
seated  he  closed  the  door  and  fastened  it. 

As  soon  as  Juan's  father  opened  the  basket  the  wasps 
flew  over  the  room;  and  when  the  people  found  the 
door  locked  they  fought  to  get  out  of  the  windows. 
After  a  while  Juan  opened  the  door,  and  when  he  saw 
the  swollen  faces  of  the  people,  he  cried. 

"What  fine,  rich  guavas  you  must  have  had !  They 
have  made  you  all  so  fat!" 


[200] 


o 


THE  SUN  AND  THE  MOON1 

F  is  ay  an 

NCE  upon  a  time  the  Sun  and  the  Moon  were 
married,  and  they  had  many  children  who  were 
the  stars.  The  Sun  was  very  fond  of  his  children,  but 
whenever  he  tried  to  embrace  any  of  them,  he  was  so 
hot  that  he  burned  them  up.  This  made  the  Moon 
so  angry  that  finally  she  forbade  him  to  touch  them 
again,  and  he  was  greatly  grieved. 

One  day  the  Moon  went  down  to  the  spring  to  do 
some  washing,  and  when  she  left  she  told  the  Sun  that 
he  must  not  touch  any  of  their  children  in  her  absence. 
When  she  returned,  however,  she  found  that  he  had 
disobeyed  her,  and  several  of  the  children  had  perished. 

She  was  very  angry,  and  picked  up  a  banana  tree  to 
strike  him,  whereupon  he  threw  sand  in  her  face,  and 
to  this  day  you  can  see  the  dark  marks  on  the  face  of 
the  Moon. 

Then  the  Sun  started  to  chase  her,  and  they  have 
been  going  ever  since.  Sometimes  he  gets  so  near  that 
he  almost  catches  her,  but  she  escapes,  and  by  and  by 
she  is  far  ahead  again.2 

1These  Visayan  tales  reflect  old  beliefs  covered  with  a  veneer  of 
European  ideas.  The  Visayan  still  holds  to  many  of  the  old  super- 
stitions, not  because  he  has  reasoned  them  out  for  himself,  but  because 
his  ancestors  believed  them  and  transmitted  them  to  him  in  such  stories 
as  these. 

2  A  very  old  explanatory  tale.  In  a  slightly  varying  form  it  is  found 
in  other  parts  of  the  Islands. 

[201] 


M 


THE  FIRST  MONKEY 

F  is  ay  an 

ANY  years  ago  at  the  foot  of  a  forest-covered  hill 
was  a  small  town,  and  just  above  the  town  on 
the  hillside  was  a  little  house  in  which  lived  an  old 
woman  and  her  grandson. 

The  old  woman,  who  was  very  industrious,  earned 
their  living  by  removing  the  seeds  from  cotton,  and 
she  always  had  near  at  hand  a  basket  in  which  were 
cotton  and  a  long  stick  that  she  used  for  a  spindle. 
The  boy  was  lazy  and  would  not  do  anything  to  help 
his  grandmother,  but  every  day  went  down  to  the  town 
and  gambled. 

One  day,  when  he  had  been  losing  money,  the  boy 
went  home  and  was  cross  because  his  supper  was  not 
ready. 

"I  am  hurrying  to  get  the  seeds  out  of  this  cotton," 
said  the  grandmother,  "and  as  soon  as  I  sell  it.  I  will 
buy  us  some  food." 

At  this  the  boy  fell  into  a  rage,  and  he  picked  up 
some  cocoanut  shells  and  threw  them  at  his  grand- 
mother. Then  she  became  angry  and  began  to  whip 
him  with  her  spindle,  when  suddenly  he  was  changed 
into  an  ugly  animal,  and  the  cotton  became  hair  which 
covered  his  body,  while  the  stick  itself  became  his  tail. 

As  soon  as  the  boy  found  that  he  had  become  an 
ugly  creature  he  ran  down  into  the  town  and  began 

[202] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

whipping  his  companions,  the  gamblers,  with  his  tail, 
and  immediately  they  were  turned  into  animals  like 
himself. 

Then  the  people  would  no  longer  have  them  in  the 
town,  but  drove  them  out.  They  went  to  the  forest 
where  they  lived  in  the  trees,  and  ever  since  they  have 
been  known  as  monkeys.1 


1Here  we  have  an  old  type  of  tale  explaining  where  monkeys  came 
from.    See  note  2,  p.  130. 


[203] 


o 


THE  VIRTUE  OF  THE  COCOANUT 

Fisayan 

NE  day  a  man  took  his  blow-gun1  and  his  dog  and 
went  to  the  forest  to  hunt.  As  he  was  making  his 
way  through  the  thick  woods  he  chanced  upon  a  young 
cocoanut  tree  growing  in  the  ground. 

It  was  the  first  tree  of  this  kind  that  he  had  ever 
seen,  and  it  seemed  so  peculiar  to  him  that  he  stopped 
to  look  at  it. 

When  he  had  gone  some  distance  farther,  his  atten- 
tion was  attracted  by  a  noisy  bird  in  a  tree,  and  he  shot 
it  with  his  blow-gun.  By  and  by  he  took  aim  at  a  large 
monkey,  which  mocked  him  from  another  treetop,  and 
that,  too,  fell  dead  at  his  feet. 

Then  he  heard  his  dog  barking  furiously  in  the  dis- 
tant bushes,  and  hastening  to  it  he  found  it  biting  a 
wild  pig.  After  a  hard  struggle  he  killed  the  pig,  and 
then,  feeling  satisfied  with  his  success,  he  took  the  three 
animals  on  his  back  and  returned  to  the  little  plant. 

"I  have  decided  to  take  you  home  with  me,  little 
plant,"  he  said,  "for  I  like  you  and  you  may  be  of  some 
use  to  me." 

He  dug  up  the  plant  very  carefully  and  started 


1The  blow-gun  is  a  Malayan  weapon,  which  is  used  extensively  in 
the  Philippines.  Among  certain  wild  tribes  poisoned  darts  are  blown 
through  it,  but  among  the  Christianized  tribes  a  clay  pellet  is  used. 

[204] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

home,  but  he  had  not  gone  far  when  he  noticed  that 
the  leaves  had  begun  to  wilt,  and  he  did  not  know  what 
to  do,  since  he  had  no  water.  Finally,  in  despair,  he 
cut  the  throat  of  the  bird  and  sprinkled  the  blood  on 
the  cocoanut.  No  sooner  had  he  done  this  than  the 
plant  began  to  revive,  and  he  continued  his  journey. 

Before  he  had  gone  far,  however,  the  leaves  again 
began  to  wilt,  and  this  time  he  revived  it  with  the  blood 
of  the  monkey.  Then  he  hastened  on,  but  a  third  time 
the  leaves  wilted,  and  he  was  compelled  to  stop  and 
revive  it  with  the  blood  of  the  pig.  This  was  his  last 
animal,  so  he  made  all  the  haste  possible  to  reach  home 
before  his  plant  died.  The  cocoanut  began  to  wilt 
again  before  he  reached  his  house,  but  when  he  planted 
it  in  the  ground,  it  quickly  revived,  and  grew  into  a 
tall  tree. 

This  hunter  was  the  first  man  to  take  the  liquor 
called  tuba1  from  the  cocoanut  tree,  and  he  and  his 
friends  began  to  drink  it.  After  they  had  become  very 
fond  of  it,  the  hunter  said  to  his  friends : 

"The  cocoanut  tree  is  like  the  three  animals  whose 
blood  gave  it  life  when  it  would  have  died.  The  man 
who  drinks  three  or  four  cups  of  tuba  becomes  like  the 
noisy  bird  that  I  shot  with  my  blow-gun.  One  who 
drinks  more  than  three  or  four  cups  becomes  like  the 
big  monkey  that  acts  silly;  and  one  who  becomes  drunk 
is  like  the  pig  that  sleeps  even  in  a  mud-hole." 


*See  note  i,  p.  197. 


[205] 


MANSUMANDIG 

Pis  ay  an 

day  a  man  said  to  his  wife:  "My  wife,  we  are 
getting  very  poor  and  I  must  go  into  business  to 
earn  some  money." 

"That  is  a  good  idea,"  replied  his  wife.  "How 
much  capital  have  you?" 

"I  have  twenty-five  centavos,"1  answered  the  man; 
"and  I  am  going  to  buy  rice  and  carry  it  to  the  mines, 
for  I  have  heard  that  it  brings  a  good  price  there." 

So  he  took  his  twenty-five  centavos  and  bought  a 
half-cavan  of  rice  which  he  carried  on  his  shoulder  to 
the  mine.  Arriving  there  he  told  the  people  that  he 
had  rice  for  sale,  and  they  asked  eagerly  how  much 
he  wanted  for  it. 

"Why,  have  you  forgotten  the  regular  price  of  rice?" 
asked  the  man.  "It  is  twenty-five  centavos." 

They  at  once  bought  the  rice,  and  the  man  was  very 
glad  because  he  would  not  have  to  carry  it  any  longer. 
He  put  the  money  in  his  belt  and  asked  if  they  would 
like  to  buy  any  more. 

"Yes,"  said  they,  "we  will  buy  as  many  cavans  as 
you  will  bring." 

When  the  man  reached  home  his  wife  asked  if  he 
had  been  successful. 


Spanish  coin  worth  half  a  cent. 

[206] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"Oh,  my  wife,"  he  answered,  "it  is  a  very  good  busi- 
ness. I  could  not  take  the  rice  off  my  shoulder  before 
the  people  came  to  buy  it." 

"Well,  that  is  good,"  said  the  wife ;  "we  shall  become 
very  rich." 

The  next  morning  the  man  bought  a  half-cavan 
of  rice  the  same  as  before  and  carried  it  to  the  mine 
and  when  they  asked  how  much  it  would  be,  he 
said: 

"It  is  the  same  as  before  —  twenty-five  centavos." 
He  received  the  money  and  went  home. 

"How  is  the  business  today?"  asked  his  wife. 

"Oh,  it  is  the  same  as  before,"  he  said.  "I  could 
not  take  the  rice  off  my  shoulder  before  they  came 
for  it." 

And  so  he  went  on  with  his  business  for  a  year,  each 
day  buying  a  half-cavan  of  rice  and  selling  it  for  the 
price  he  had  paid  for  it.  Then  one  day  his  wife  said 
that  they  would  balance  accounts,  and  she  spread  a  mat 
on  the  floor  and  sat  down  on  one  side  of  it,  telling  her 
husband  to  sit  on  the  opposite  side.  When  she  asked 
him  for  the  money  he  had  made  during  the  year,  he 
asked: 

"What  money?" 

"Why,  give  me  the  money  you  have  received," 
answered  his  wife;  "and  then  we  can  see  how  much 
you  have  made." 

"Oh,  here  it  is,"  said  the  man,  and  he  took  the 
twenty-five  centavos  out  of  his  belt  and  handed  it  to 
her. 

"Is  that  all  you  have  received  this  year?"  cried  his 

[207] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

wife  angrily.  "Haven't  you  said  that  rice  brought  a 
good  price  at  the  mines?" 

"That  is  all,"  he  replied. 

"How  much  did  you  pay  for  the  rice?" 

"Twenty-five  centavos." 

"How  much  did  you  receive  for  it?" 

"Twenty-five  centavos." 

"Oh,  my  husband,"  cried  his  wife,  "how  can  you 
make  any  gain  if  you  sell  it  for  just  what  you  paid 
fork,"  ' 

The  man  leaned  his  head  against  the  wall  and 
thought.  Ever  since  then  he  has  been  called  "Mansu- 
mandig,"  a  man  who  leans  back  and  thinks. 

Then  the  wife  said,  "Give  me  the  twenty-five  cen- 
tavos, and  I  will  try  to  make  some  money."  So  he 
handed  it  to  her,  and  she  said,  "Now  you  go  to  the  field 
where  the  people  are  gathering  hemp  and  buy  twenty- 
five  centavos  worth  for  me,  and  I  will  weave  it  into 
cloth." 

When  Mansumandig  returned  with  the  hemp  she 
spread  it  in  the  sun,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  dry  she  tied 
it  into  a  long  thread  and  put  it  on  the  loom  to  weave. 
Night  and  day  she  worked  on  her  cloth,  and  when  it 
was  finished  she  had  eight  varas.  This  she  sold  for 
twelve  and  a  half  centavos  a  vara,  and  with  this  money 
she  bought  more  hemp.  She  continued  weaving  and 
selling  her  cloth,  and  her  work  was  so  good  that  people 
were  glad  to  buy  from  her. 

At  the  end  of  a  year  she  again  spread  the  mat  on 
the  floor  and  took  her  place  on  one  side  of  it,  while  her 
husband  sat  on  the  opposite  side.  Then  she  poured 

[208] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

the  money  out  of  the  blanket  in  which  she  kept  it  upon 
the  mat.  She  held  aside  her  capital,  which  was  twenty- 
five  centavos,  and  when  she  counted  the  remainder  she 
found  that  she  had  three  hundred  pesos.  Mansuman- 
dig  was  greatly  ashamed  when  he  remembered  that  he 
had  not  made  a  cent,  and  he  leaned  his  head  against 
the  wall  and  thought.  After  a  while  the  woman  pitied 
him,  so  she  gave  him  the  money  and  told  him  to  buy 
carabao. 

He  was  able  to  buy  ten  carabao  and  with  these  he 
plowed  his  fields.  By  raising  good  crops  they  were 
able  to  live  comfortably  all  the  rest  of  their  lives. 


[209] 


WHY  DOGS  WAG  THEIR  TAILS 

Visayan 

A  RICH  man  in  a  certain  town  once  owned  a  dog 
*•*'  and  a  cat,  both  of  which  were  very  useful  to  him. 
The  dog  had  served  his  master  for  many  years  and 
had  become  so  old  that  he  had  lost  his  teeth  and  was 
unable  to  fight  any  more,  but  he  was  a  good  guide  and 
companion  to  the  cat  who  was  strong  and  cunning. 

The  master  had  a  daughter  who  was  attending 
school  at  a  convent  some  distance  from  home,  and  very 
often  he  sent  the  dog  and  the  cat  with  presents  to 
the  girl. 

One  day  he  called  the  faithful  animals  and  bade 
them  carry  a  magic  ring  to  his  daughter. 

"You  are  strong  and  brave, "  he  said  to  the  cat. 
"You  may  carry  the  ring,  but  you  must  be  careful  not 
to  drop  it." 

And  to  the  dog  he  said:  "You  must  accompany  the 
cat  to  guide  her  and  keep  her  from  harm." 

They  promised  to  do  their  best,  and  started  out.  All 
went  well  until  they  came  to  a  river.  As  there  was 
neither  bridge  nor  boat,  there  was  no  way  to  cross  but 
to  swim. 

"Let  me  take  the  magic  ring,"  said  the  dog  as  they 
were  about  to  plunge  into  the  water. 

"Oh,  no,"  replied  the  cat,  "the  master  gave  it  to  me 
to  carry." 

[210] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

"But  you  cannot  swim  well,"  argued  the  dog.  "I 
am  strong  and  can  take  good  care  of  it." 

But  the  cat  refused  to  give  up  the  ring  until  finally 
the  dog  threatened  to  kill  her,  and  then  she  reluctantly 
gave  it  to  him. 

The  river  was  wide  and  the  water  so  swift  that  they 
grew  very  tired,  and  just  before  they  reached  the  op- 
posite bank  the  dog  dropped  the  ring.  They  searched 
carefully,  but  could  not  find  it  anywhere,  and  after  a 
while  they  turned  back  to  tell  their  master  of  the  sad 
loss.  Just  before  reaching  the  house,  however,  the  dog 
was  so  overcome  with  fear  that  he  turned  and  ran 
away  and  never  was  seen  again. 

The  cat  went  on  alone,  and  when  the  master  saw 
her  coming  he  called  out  to  know  why  she  had  returned 
so  soon  and  what  had  become  of  her  companion.  The 
poor  cat  was  frightened,  but  as  well  as  she  could  she 
explained  how  the  ring  had  been  lost  and  how  the  dog 
had  run  away. 

On  hearing  her  story  the  master  was  very  angry, 
and  commanded  that  all  his  people  should  search  for 
the  dog,  and  that  it  should  be  punished  by  having  its  tail 
cut  off. 

He  also  ordered  that  all  the  dogs  in  the  world  should 
join  in  the  search,  and  ever  since  when  one  dog  meets 
another  he  says:  "Are  you  the  old  dog  that  lost  the 
magic  ring?  If  so,  your  tail  must  be  cut  off."  Then 
immediately  each  shows  his  teeth  and  wags  his  tail  to 
prove  that  he  is  not  the  guilty  one. 

Since  then,  too,  cats  have  been  afraid  of  water  and 
will  not  swim  across  a  river  if  they  can  avoid  it. 

[211] 


THE  HAWK  AND  THE  HEN 

Vis  ay  an 

A  HAWK  flying  about  in  the  sky  one  day  decided 
**•  that  he  would  like  to  marry  a  hen  whom  he  often 
saw  on  earth.  He  flew  down  and  searched  until  he 
found  her,  and  then  asked  her  to  become  his  wife.  She 
at  once  gave  her  consent  on  the  condition  that  he  would 
wait  until  she  could  grow  wings  like  his,  so  that  she 
might  also  fly  high.  The  hawk  agreed  to  this  and  flew 
away,  after  giving  her  a  ring  as  an  engagement  present 
and  telling  her  to  take  good  care  of  it. 

The  hen  was  very  proud  of  the  ring  and  placed  it 
around  her  neck.  The  next  day,  however,  she  met 
the  cock  who  looked  at  her  in  astonishment  and  said: 

"Where  did  you  get  that  ring?  Do  you  not  know 
that  you  promised  to  be  my  wife  ?  You  must  not  wear 
the  ring  of  anyone  else.  Throw  it  away." 

And  the  hen  threw  away  the  beautiful  ring. 

Not  long  after  this  the  hawk  came  down  bringing 
beautiful  feathers  to  dress  the  hen.  When  she  saw 
him  coming  she  was  frightened  and  ran  to  hide  behind 
the  door,  but  the  hawk  called  to  her  to  come  and  see 
the  beautiful  dress  he  had  brought  her. 

The  hen  came  out,  and  the  hawk  at  once  saw  that 
the  ring  was  gone. 

"Where  is  the  ring  I  gave  you?"  he  asked.  "Why 
do  you  not  wear  it?" 

[212] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

The  hen  was  frightened  and  ashamed  to  tell  the 
truth  so  she  answered: 

"Oh,  sir,  yesterday  when  I  was  walking  in  the 
garden,  I  met  a  large  snake  and  he  frightened  me  so 
that  I  ran  as  fast  as  I  could  to  the  house.  Then  I 
missed  the  ring  and  I  searched  everywhere  but  could 
not  find  it." 

The  hawk  looked  sharply  at  the  hen,  and  he  knew 
that  she  was  deceiving  him.  Then  he  said  to  her: 

"I  did  not  believe  that  you  could  behave  so  badly. 
When  you  have  found  the  ring  I  will  come  down  again 
and  make  you  my  wife.  But  as  a  punishment  for  break- 
ing your  promise,  you  must  always  scratch  the  ground 
to  look  for  the  ring.  And  every  chicken  of  yours  that 
I  find,  I  shall  snatch  away." 

Then  he  flew  away,  and  ever  since  all  the  hens 
throughout  the  world  have  been  scratching  to  find  the 
hawk's  ring. 


THE  SPIDER  AND  THE  FLY 

F  is  ay  an 

ATR.  SPIDER  wanted  to  marry  Miss  Fly.  Many 
•*••*•  times  he  told  her  of  his  love  and  begged  her  to 
become  his  wife,  but  she  always  refused  for  she  did 
not  like  him. 

One  day  when  she  saw  Mr.  Spider  coming  again 
Miss  Fly  closed  all  the  doors  and  windows  of  her  house 
and  made  ready  a  pot  of  boiling  water.  Then  she 
waited,  and  when  Mr.  Spider  called,  begging  her  to 
allow  him  to  enter,  she  answered  by  throwing  boiling 
water  at  him.  This  made  Mr.  Spider  very  angry  and 
he  cried: 

"I  will  never  forgive  you  for  this,  but  I  and  my  de- 
scendants will  always  despise  you.  We  will  never  give 
you  any  peace." 

Mr.  Spider  kept  his  word,  and  even  today  one  can 
see  the  hatred  of  the  spider  for  the  fly. 


o 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  CRABS 

Visayan 

NE  day  the  land  crabs  had  a  meeting  and  one  of 
them  said: 

"What  shall  we  do  with  the  waves?  They  sing  so 
loudly  all  the  time  that  we  cannot  possibly  sleep." 

"Well,"  answered  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  crabs, 
"I  think  we  should  make  war  on  them." 

The  others  agreed  to  this,  and  it  was  decided  that 
the  next  day  all  the  male  crabs  should  get  ready  to 
fight  the  waves.  They  started  for  the  sea,  as  agreed, 
when  they  met  a  shrimp. 

"Where  are  you  going,  my  friends?"  asked  the 
shrimp. 

"We  are  going  to  fight  the  waves,"  answered  the 
crabs,  "for  they  make  so  much  noise  at  night  that  we 
cannot  sleep." 

"I  do  not  think  you  will  succeed,"  said  the  shrimp, 
"for  the  waves  are  very  strong  and  your  legs  are 
so  weak  that  even  your  bodies  bend  almost  to  the 
ground  when  you  walk."  Wherewith  he  laughed 
loudly. 

This  made  the  crabs  very  angry,  and  they  pinched 
the  shrimp  until  he  promised  to  help  them  win  the 
battle. 

Then  they  all  went  to  the  shore.  But  the  crabs 
noticed  that  the  eyes  of  the  shrimp  were  set  unlike  their 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

own,  so  they  thought  his  must  be  wrong  and  they 
laughed  at  him  and  said: 

"Friend  shrimp,  your  face  is  turned  the  wrong  way. 
What  weapon  have  you  to  fight  with  the  waves?" 

"My  weapon  is  a  spear  on  my  head,"  replied  the 
shrimp,  and  just  then  he  saw  a  big  wave  coming  and 
ran  away.  The  crabs  did  not  see  it,  however,  for  they 
were  all  looking  toward  the  shore,  and  they  were  cov- 
ered with  water  and  drowned. 

By  and  by  the  wives  of  the  crabs  became  worried 
because  their  husbands  did  not  return,  and  they  went 
down  to  the  shore  to  see  if  they  could  help  in  the  battle. 
No  sooner  had  they  reached  the  water,  however,  than 
the  waves  rushed  over  them  and  killed  them. 

Some  time  after  this  thousands  of  little  crabs  ap- 
peared near  the  shore,  and  the  shrimp  often  visited 
them  and  told  them  of  the  sad  fate  of  their  parents. 
Even  today  these  little  crabs  can  be  seen  on  the  shore, 
continually  running  back  and  forth.  They  seem  to  rush 
down  to  fight  the  waves,  and  then,  as  their  courage 
fails,  they  run  back  to  the  land  where  their  forefathers 
lived.  They  neither  live  on  dry  land,  as  their  ancestors 
did,  nor  in  the  sea  where  the  other  crabs  are,  but  on 
the  beach  where  the  waves  wash  over  them  at  high  tide 
and  try  to  dash  them  to  pieces. 


PRONUNCIATION  OF  PHILIPPINE  NAMES 


The  vowel  sounds  in  the  following  pronunciations 
are  those  used  in  Webster's  dictionary. 


Adasen,  a-da'sen 

Aguio,  a'ge-o 

Alan,  a'lan 

Alokotan,  a-16-ko-tan' 

Aponibalagen,  apo-ne-ba-la-gen' 

Aponibolinayen, 

apo-ne-bo-le-na'yen 
Aponitolau,  apo-ne-to'lou 
Bagbagak,  bag-ba-gak' 
Bagobo,  ba-go'bo 
Balatama,  ba-la-ta'ma 
Bangan,  ban'gan 
Bantugan,  ban-too'gan 
Benito,  be-ne'to 
Bilaan,  be-la'an 
Bita,  be'ta 
Bontoc,  bon'tok 
Bukidnon,  boo-kid'non 
Bulanawan,  boo-la-na'wan 
Caalang,  ka-a'lang 
Cabildo,  ka-bil'do 
Cibolan,  ci-bo'lan 
Dalonagan,  da-16-na'gan 
Danepan,  da-ne-pan' 
Dapilisan,  da-pe-le'san 
Dayapan,  di-a-pan 
Dinawagen,  de-na-wa'gen 
Dodedog,  dog-e-dog 
Domayco,  do-rai'ko 
Dumalavui,  doo-ma-la-we' 
Epogow,  e-po-gou' 


Gawigawen,  ga-we-ga'wen 
Gaygayoma,  gi-gi-6'ma 
Gotgotapa,  got-go-ta'pa 
Igorot,  ig-6-rot' 
Ilocano,  il-6-ka'no 
Ilocos  Norte,  il-o'kos  no'rte 
Indarapatra,  in-da-ra-pa'tra 
Ini-init,  e-ni-e'nit 
Kabigat,  ka-be-gat' 
Kaboniyan,  ka-bo-ne-yan' 
Kadaklan,  ka-dak-lan' 
Kadalayapan,  ka-da-la-ya'pan 
Kadayadawan,  ka-da-ya-da'wan 
Kanag,  ka'nag 
Komo<w,  ko'mou 
Kurita,  ku-re'ta 
Langgona,  lang-go'na 
Ligi,  le'ge 
Limokon,  le-mo'kon 
Lumabet,  loo-ma'bet 
Lumawig,   loo-ma'wig 
Magbangal,  mag-bang'al 
Magindanau,  ma-gm-da'nou 
Magosang,  ma-go'sang 
Magsawi,  mag-sa-we' 
Magsingal,  mag'sin-gal 
Manama,  man-a'ma 
Mandaya,  man-di'ya 
Mansumandig,  man-su-man-dig 
Mayinit,  mi-i'nit 
Mayo,  mi'yo 


[217] 


PHILIPPINE  FOLK  TALES 

Mindanao,  min-da-nou'  Sulayman,  soo-li'man 

Nalpangan,  nal-pan-gan'  Tagalog,  ta-ga'log 

Pilar,  pe'lar'  Tarabusaiu,  ta-ra-boo'sou 

Samoki,  sa-mo'ki  Tikgi,  tik'ge 

Sayen,  sa-yen'  Timaco,  ti-ma'ko 

Siagon,  se-a'gon  Tinguian,  ting-gi-an' 

Silit,  se'let  Toglai,  tog-la'e 

Sinag,  se'nag  Toglibon,  tog-le'bon 

Sogsogot,  sog-so-got'  Visayan,  vi-si'yan 
Subanun,  soo-ba'nun 


[218] 


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